Abigail Tracy
by mysweetcupcake
Summary: How would the events of the 2004 movie change if the Tracy's had a younger sister to protect as well as a younger brother? Abigail Tracy is the youngest of all the Tracy's and the whole family is extremely protective of her. What will happen when the Hood comes calling? My first ever fan fiction so please be nice! I only own Abigail (although I wish I did own the thunderbirds) xx
1. I wouldn't leave you

I sat in the lounge hugging my knees to my chest as I stared at the TV. I don't know why I put myself through this torture. I smiled slightly as Thunderbird 1 appeared closely followed by Thunderbird 2 but it soon disappeared when I caught a glimpse of the burning oil rig. I was debating on whether to call John up on Thunderbird 5 to distract me when the sight of Thunderbird 1 hurtling towards the black ocean caught my attention. I gasped in shock and prayed that my oldest brother Scott was ok. I spent the rest of the mission like that. Sat on the sofa, eyes glued to the action, wishing I was there to look after my brothers but at the same time being quite glad that I was safe at home on Tracy Island.

As the mission ended, I heard a small beeping next to me and knew that it would be one of my brothers calling in to check up on me. So protective – but I honestly wouldn't have it any other way. Sure enough, it's Scott.

'_Hey Abs. How you doing?'_

'_Well I think I've only just started breathing again after what happened with you and Thunderbird 1'_

'_Aw Abs don't worry about me – I'm fine. Honest.' _Scott's voice was full of concern which although sweet is extremely irritating when he almost **died**.

'_Yeah Scott you say that now but you weren't watching it happen on a TV screen a thousand miles away. I didn't know if you were ok Scotty. You know it scares me when things like that happen.' _

By now I was starting to hyperventilate and Scott obviously realised this because next time he spoke his big brother protective mode had obviously kicked in.

'_Hey, hey, hey shush now it's ok. I'm fine. We're all fine Abby. I know it scares you but I'm not gonna let a little wind stop me from coming home to my little sister now am I?' _

His voice was soft and calming and I subconsciously began to calm down. I smiled a little at that last sentence. None of my brothers would leave me – ever. I know that. It just scares me that they come so close to death. I don't think I could handle losing a brother – or a father for that matter.

'_I wouldn't leave you – would I?'_ Scott insisted. I sighed.

'_No Scott – you wouldn't and I know that I do. Just. Just come home Scotty. Please?' _I plead with him.

'_Of course I will,'_ he replies and I can hear the smile in his voice. _'I'll be home in about 20 minutes – will you be ok till the honey?' _I smile back.

'_I'm sure I can handle that.' _

'_Good. Hang on a sec Abs…' _I waited impatiently.

'_Scott what's going on?'_

'_Guess what Abs? I think Alan's coming home too.'_ I grin. If only John could come down from Thunderbird 5 my whole family would be together. Oh well, I'll take what I can get.

'_That's great Scott. I'm gonna go help Brains in Command and Control – I'll see you when you get home ok?'_

'_Sure thing Abs. I'll see you soon. Scott out.' _And with that the line went dead. I stared at the watch for a few seconds more before running off to Command and Control to wait for my brothers to come home. I couldn't wait to see them again.


	2. I'm coming with you

Fifteen minutes later I was enveloped in a backwards hug from Scott closely followed by Virgil and Gordon. I sighed as I turned around to hug them properly. I should have known Scott would tell the others I was scared. Typical protective brothers. I stepped out of the hug and prepared myself for the millions of questions and assurances that my brothers were about to tell me. Luckily for me, at that moment I heard Alan yell,

'_Dad!' _and that gave me the perfect excuse to run out of the room to find my brother. I managed to give him a quick hug before Scott, Virgil and Gordon descended on the Sprout. I could hear Alan quizzing Dad on the mission and smiled. It's Alan's dream to become a Thunderbird and he watches every single mission on television whilst he's away at Wharton's. A bit like me I suppose – although I only watch to make sure that my family are ok.

As we sat at the table I listened as my brothers discussed previous missions and I couldn't help but join in. I did notice that Alan sat in silence, obviously listening to the conversation and realised how much this would hurt him. I immediately stopped talking, not that my brothers noticed, and made a mental note to try and include Alan in some of the Thunderbirds conversation so he at least felt included. I hated it when my brothers were upset. I sighed as Alan suddenly stood up and walked away from the table. My brother's faces were identical masks of shock – Alan never leaves the table without finishing a meal. I sighed at their ignorance. I loved my brothers to death but sometimes I wish they could see how much Alan is hurting. Seriously, if I thought knocking their heads together would help I'd do it without a second thought!

A while later I was playing an adapted version of volleyball in the pool with Gordon whilst Scott and Virgil sat on the sun loungers around the side refereeing. Well, not so much refereeing – more like shouting insults to Gordon. I was just about to serve when a high pitched alarm sounded around the villa. I jumped a mile in the air and let out a small shriek. That was enough for Gordon to dive under the net and wrap a comforting arm around me.

'Don't worry Abs, it's just the alarm from Thunderbird 1. I bet Alan's gone down there and pressed a couple of buttons. It's ok, nothings gonna happen.' He soothed. Scott had run off down to the silos to check on his bird and Virgil was crouching at the side of the pool, looking at me worriedly. I nodded and tried to calm myself down. I was just being stupid. I knew what the alarm calling my brothers away sounded like. I heard it often enough. _Don't be such a baby Abigail._ I told myself sharply before looking at Gordon and giving him a shaky smile.

'Come on bro – I haven't finishing whooping your butt yet.' He grinned back at me.

'Don't be so sure little sister,' he said evilly before diving back under the net. By the time Scott came back the game had ended and I was swimming frantically away from Gordon after beating him. He really is a terrible looser.

'Scott! Help!' I yell as Gordon suddenly grabs my legs and pulls me back. He smiles at me and shakes his head. Five minutes later I climb out of the pool and hit him upside the head.

'Ow! What was that for?' He asks as he holds the back of his head.

'Call yourself a Thunderbird. I needed your help and you left me at the mercy of Gordon!' I reply trying to keep the smile out of my voice. He grins back at me and I sit down next to Virgil and watch as Gordon does laps up the pool. It's easy to see how he won gold at the Olympics.

'Why did the alarm go off?' I ask Scott. He rolls his eyes before replying.

'Alan decided to try out Thunderbird 1 without permission and forgot to put up the anti-detection shields. That's what set the alarm off. Dad really wasn't happy.' I shudder at the thought.

'I bet he wasn't' I mumble quietly, looking back at the pool and focusing on Gordon. Alan was probably up in his room sulking and Dad would be in his office sulking. Honestly, it was always the same. Alan would come home from school and by the end of the first day he was usually in trouble with Dad. Then we had to put up with both Alan and Dad hardly talking to each other and acting like five year olds. I wanted to go and talk to them but I knew from experience that after they'd had a fight it was best just to leave them to it and let them calm down themselves. I sighed. Just once I wished Alan would come home with decent grades and not try and use the Thunderbirds without permission. Just once I wanted a peaceful holiday. Well, as peaceful as it gets in the Tracy household anyway. No arguments. No awkward silences. All of us just getting along. Oh well, there's always next time…

The next day was just as I'd predicted. Awkward. Alan didn't come down for breakfast and Onaha told us that he'd come down earlier. Great, so he was avoiding us. Dad tried to act like nothing had happened but when Virgil told him that Alan had gotten up earlier to have breakfast without us his face clouded. He wouldn't tell us what had happened between him and Alan yesterday but we all knew it was bad if Alan had chosen to get up earlier just so he didn't have to see us.

After breakfast, Dad went back to the office to 'catch up on some paperwork.' In reality, he was distracting himself from the argument with his youngest son yesterday and the questions his other children were plaguing him with today. It's always the same. Scott started looking at news report of the mission yesterday, Gordon sat and talked to Onaha and I sat at the piano with Virgil and watched him play. No one knew where Alan had gone. Suddenly, another alarm sounded. I knew what this alarm meant. My brothers were needed again. We all took off running to the Command and Control Centre. Brains was already there with my Dad and they looked up from the computer screen as we came in.

'What's going on?' Virgil asked.

'Thunderbird 5, major damage sustained…' Brains replied. I blanked out after that. There was only one thought pounding through my mind. John. Without thinking, I turned to look at my dad and quietly said,

'I'm coming with you.'

**So, this chapter is a lot longer than the first one. I hope you guys are enjoying it so far and that it makes sense! Constructive reviews are always welcome! More to come soon love mysweetcupcake xx**


	3. Not expecting this

"What?" Dad turned to stare at me in disbelief. My brothers wore similar masks of shock on their faces as well. This is the first time I've ever wanted to come on a mission. I've always been too scared or, more often than not, told to stay at home because it's too dangerous.

"I'm coming with you Dad." I repeat slowly. Its scary how calm and steady my voice is. This time the words seem to sink in with Dad because he slowly walks over to me and crouches down to my level.

"Sweetheart it's too dangerous. You could get hurt." He says, his voice full of emotion. I can feel the butterflies in my stomach but I can't back down now. I shake my head determinedly.

"No dad. If it's not too dangerous for my brothers then it's not too dangerous for me." I can see the trademark Tracy stubbornness in my dad's eyes so I hurriedly continue. "I can't just sit here this time dad. Not when John's up there on his own. I can't just sit around here wondering about what's happening and why it's taking so long and wondering if this was the mission when your luck ran out. I can't dad. Not this time." He sighs and I know he's admitted defeat. I'm not sure whether to be relieved or terrified. He takes my hand and leads me to his portrait before saying:

"Thunderbirds are go!" And with that, the portraits closed and I felt myself falling down the chute towards Thunderbird 3.

I settle myself into the seat next to Virgil, my heart pounding in my chest. As he sits down Virgil reaches over and squeezes my hand. I think he's guessed how scared I am. I give him a weak smile and watch as he turns his attention to the computer in front of him. I hear my dad give the command to liftoff but I'm not really listening anymore. I close my eyes and rest my head on the headrest as I feel the huge red rocket come to life beneath me. I hear the rumbling of the engines igniting and all of a sudden I'm thrust back into my seat as my dad and Gordon push the rocket to maximum thrust. All around me I can hear my brothers relaying information to each other but all I can think about is John. He was always there when I was hurt or upset or scared and now it's my chance to repay him. I don't think anyone else really understands why I pushed to come on this mission. Or maybe they do and they can hide it better than I can. All I know is that my brother needs me. And I can't ignore that.

A little while later I hear his voice. At first I think I'm imagining it. I want, no need, to hear his voice so bad that I can. But then I hear what's actually being said and I know I'm not imagining it. I could never imagine the pain and fear in my big brother's voice. The panic as he tells us that the power is failing. I look at Virgil and see the same horror in his eyes that I know are in mine. And I know we're thinking the same thing. Why him? Then, I hear my dad's voice. Cool, calm and collected. All the traits that NASA teach their astronauts.

"_Hold on John, we're coming in."_ I moved forward to look out of the window. I wanted to see the damage for myself. I gasped and I knew that if they weren't involved in the precarious docking sequence then my whole family would have descended on me like a pack of smothering wolves. As it was, I felt Virgil reach out and squeeze my hand reassuringly once again.

It was a mess. Half of Thunderbird 5 was floating in space. I knew from the amount of damage that it wasn't a meteor. To do that amount of damage, it must have been huge. No. I was certain. My brother had been targeted. I instantly saw red. No one hurts my family and gets away with it. distantly, I heard Scott announce that we had locked onto Thunderbird 5. I was moving on autopilot. I didn't even realise that I had thrown the seat restraint off my body and was following my family down the tunnel. There are too many thoughts going through my head – John, the so called 'meteor', John, the damage to Thunderbird 5. I'm seriously concerned my head is going to explode. I shook my head slightly, trying to shake away the thoughts that had been plaguing me since I first caught a glimpse of my brothers' pride and joy. As the tunnel opened, I finally saw the damage done inside the craft. It was horrific. There was hardly any light, the emergency power was done to about 4% now which meant it was a lot darker than I first expected. I tripped over some debris and fell into Gordon's back. He turned around and gave me a small smile before steadying me.

"Careful Abs, we don't want you hurting yourself as well now, do we?" I smile back and shake my head. He turned as dad yelled his name and told him to do a damage assessment. He turned to look back at me and I knew he was debating whether to leave me. I gave him a small nod and a weak smile and, with a final pat, he went off to do his task. I carefully walked over to where John was sat and smiled at the shocked expression on his face.

"Wasn't expecting that, were you Johnny." I ask quietly as I sit down next to him and wrap an arm round his shoulder. He shakes his head and Virgil slaps him gently on the wrist.

"John! I just told you don't move your head quickly because you'll get dizzy and will probably throw up. I love you bro but I really don't fancy cleaning up your puke in the middle of space." John grinned weakly at that before replying in a strangled voice:

"Are you sure little brother because I'm perfectly happy to arrange that once in a lifetime opportunity for you." I know Virgil is about to say something sarcastic back when dad surprises us all by bursting out laughing. We all look at him in surprise.

"It amazes me how after everything that's happened today, you lot can still take the mick out of each other." He explains, smiling. Then, he bends down next to me and whispers in my ear.

"How are you feeling honey?"

I shrug. "OK, I guess. I'm glad I came though, I'd have hated not being here to look after Johnny." Dad smiles at me and kisses the top of my head. Suddenly, we hear another alarm go off and Scott runs over to check the computer.

"We've got a constant warning light on our EPS System!"

"Attempt manual override!" Dad says as he stands up. We all wait as Scott and Gordon attempt to override the alarm.

"No, that's negative!" Dad goes over to the control panel to check things out for himself and, when he reaches the same conclusion as Scott, he turns to look at us and says with the calm authority that only a dad of 6 has

"Back to Thunderbird 3 now. John, we gotta move." I help John stand up and, watching where I put my feet, start to move us carefully towards the tunnel when Gordon's panicked voice makes me look up.

"The locking mechanism's jammed!" Me and John look at each other in alarm and turn our heads to look back at the computers as a new voice echoes around the battered space station.

"_Attention Thunderbird 5. as you can see I have taken over your systems you no longer control your operational systems."_


	4. How Ironic

The computer screen crackles into life. A bald man wearing what looks like a red kimono appears on the screen. Dad walks closer to the screen and out of the corner of my eye I can see Scott, Virgil and Gordon bunch around me and John. I can't move. My legs are stuck to the floor. Whoever this mad man is, he's in our home. He knows our secret. And I'm willing to bet that he's behind the whole 'locking mechanism jamming' thing.

"Who are you? What do you want?" I hear Dad ask. I watch as the man walks out of sight of the computer. I feel my heart pounding in my chest.

"_Oh how rude of me. You can…call me the Hood."_ I hear Scott hiss and look up at him in surprise. His face is a mask of anger and he quickly works on smoothing out his face when he sees the concern written on my face. He shakes his head slightly and I glare at him so that he knows I'm not going to let this drop. I turn my attention back to the computer screen and try to listen to what's being said. "We won't be negotiating. I'm going to use the Thunderbirds to rob the largest banks in the world, starting with the bank of London. The whole monetary system will be thrown into chaos and the Thunderbirds held responsible."

"You'll never get away with it!" I hear Scott yell. Straight after I hear him yelp and smile slightly when I realise Gordon's probably elbowed him in the ribs – his way of telling us to stop being idiots.

"Why the Thunderbirds?" Dad asks, pretending there hadn't been an interruption.

"_An eye for an eye Mr Tracy." _

"An eye for an eye?" He repeats confused. I expected the Hood to become irritated with Dad. I don't know why. I've obviously been watching way too much TV but he didn't. Instead, he was incredibly calm. Almost as if he'd known that dad wouldn't have the faintest idea what he was talking about.

"_Perhaps you've forgotten me but surely you remember saving the life of my brother Kyrano?"_ Suddenly, a huge man dressed all in black pushes Kyrano into the view of the computer. He turns to look at us.

"_I'm sorry Mister Tracy. I thought he was dead."_ I watch as Dad prepares to tell him it's not his fault when a manic laugh fills the space station. The Hood. Kyrano's brother. Ok, now my head is officially going to burst. I watch as Kyrano and Onaha are dragged out of the room. I suddenly remember Alan. My heart stops. Where is he? The Hood obviously hasn't found him otherwise it would have been him who was in the control room but that doesn't make me feel better. It puts Alan in more danger. And Fermat and Tin Tin for that matter. The Hood's voice seeps back into my head.

"_Now you will suffer, as I've suffered. Waiting for a rescue that will never come." _He leans back in the chair and waves a hand. Dismissing us. Dismissing our lives.

"Wait!" Dad calls. But it's too late. The computer dies and the whole station seems to give up almost. I whip my head around in a panic, being careful not to whip John's face as I do so.

"Scott status report." Dad has gone straight back into Commander role. Scott turns and checks a computer.

"CO2 levels are rising." Dad nods.

"Alright, rewire the emergency batteries. Clean the air." Scott nods before hurrying off.

"How long will that give us?" Virgil asks. We all turn to look at John. He gulps before answering solemnly.

"About four hours." My heart plummets. Virgil takes Johns arm and leads him to the chair before starting to examine him. I carefully pick my way over to where Scott and Gordon are working. Gordon looks up and smiles at me.

"Ok Abs?" I stare at him like he's gone mad.

"Yeah. Great." I say quietly. Gordon chuckles softly. I feel someone's hand on my shoulder. I look up into my Dad's face.

"Hey come on now. We'll get outta here no problem. We're International Rescue – aren't we?" I nod mutely before standing up to go help Virgil. I try to keep myself positive so my family don't worry but I can't stop myself from thinking _'Right now, International Rescue could do with some help from International Rescue.'_ How ironic.

A while later I was helping Scott with some wiring. To be honest I didn't have a clue what he was doing but I was glad of the job. It gave me something to do. suddenly, an alarm went off. It was high pitched and very loud. You really couldn't miss it. I looked at Scott in alarm. He was about to say something when I was blown backwards off my feet as another explosion…well…exploded. My back hit the wall first and a second later my head did the same. I'd never been in this much pain before in my life. My whole world had gone fuzzy. I could hear the others shouting to each other, confirming they were ok. I couldn't speak. I watched as a shadow started to move towards me but I wasn't awake long enough to find out who it was. The last thing I heard before the world went black was:

"Abby!"

**Hey guys, just a quick note to say thank you for the reviews and the follows. It makes me so happy to know that you guys are enjoying it. I hope you guys are enjoying the story. Please, please, please review hehe. love mysweetcupcake xx**


	5. It's so hard

I could hear muffled voices and felt cool hands stroking my face. As I surfaced from the black sea I could distinguish the voices of my family, calling my name and asking Virgil, the medic in the family, frantic questions.

"She's been out for 5 minutes now Virge." I heard John say.

"I know John, I know." Virgil replied in a strained voice. He'd obviously been asked a lot of questions in the past 5 minutes. I decided to try and let them know I was ok. I tried to open my eyes but after a few seconds I realised that they weren't gonna open anytime soon. I could feel someone holding my hand. I tried to squeeze it but it was no good. If I was able to, I would have howled in frustration. Instead, I willed all my energy into squeezing whosever hand I was holding. And slowly, very slowly, I felt my fingers responding.

"Hey! I think she's squeezing my hand." Shouts Gordon. And that's when I realise I've done it. I try again, and this time, I try and squeeze a bit harder so Gordon knows he's right. He shouts again.

"Abby? Abigail sweetheart can you hear me?" I hear dad ask. I have no way of answering except squeezing Gordon's hand.

"Yeah dad, she can hear you." Gordon tells him. Honestly, Gordon can be an idiot sometimes but being so close in age to him really does help sometimes. I try and find my voice.

"Daddy?" I manage to croak.

"Yes sweetheart I'm here. I'm right here. Can you open your eyes for me?" I try but only manage to scrunch my eyes up. I moan quietly in frustration and pain. I can't remember what happened but I'm starting to suffer from it now.

"Shh Abs, shh. It's ok. You might not be able to open your eyes for a little while. You took quite a beating in that last explosion. I've given you a bit of morphine for the pain too so that should start taking effect about now." Virgil assures me. The pain hits me harder. I swear it's getting worse every second. Virgil definatly hasn't given me enough morphine.

"More, Virge.." I manage to say before starting to cough my guts up. I feel someone rubbing me. Trying to calm me down. Once I've stopped coughing, Virgil tells me:

"You can't have any more morphine honey. We don't want you falling asleep." I must have frowned in confusion because Scott suddenly joins the conversation.

"Abs, you have a concussion. We need you to stay awake as long as possible so you don't fall unconscious again. The morphine will make you sleepy so Virgil can't give you anymore." I moan again. Typical. The one time I actually really, desperately need morphine, I'm not allowed it. I'm starting to think maybe falling unconscious is a better solution than staying awake and facing this pain.

I need to see my family. I scrunch my eyes again and very carefully, force them to open. I see the relieved looks on my family's faces. I struggle to sit up and Virgil helps me, pulling me into his lap like he did when I was a little girl. I rest my head on his shoulder, all my energy gone. I just want to sleep. Badly. I catch John's eye and I know he knows how I feel. He beckons me over. I look at Virgil who nods. I shakily stand up and, with Virgil's help, manage to make it over to where John's sat. He wraps his good arm around me before murmuring softly in my ear.

"Don't do that to me Abs." I smile weakly.

"Trust me bro, I'm in no rush to do it again." He chuckles quietly. A beeping goes off next to us. John turns us round and accepts the incoming call. I can feel everyone's eyes on us. I gasp in surprise when the screen crackles to life and reveals Alan's face.

"It's Alan!" John shouts and instantly everyone runs over, jumping over the debris to get to the console quicker.

"Alan? Where are you? Are you safe?" Dad asks, concern filling his voice.

"I'm at the satellite relay station with Fermat and Tin Tin. Fermat's gonna hack the system to give control to Thunderbird 5 back to you." I turn slightly and catch my brothers grinning at each other. I knew Alan could do it. As I turn back though, I'm faced with a new nightmare. The screen was crackling and the picture was distorted. I'm no computer genius but even I knew that the Hood had realised what my brother and his friends were up to. And was trying to stop them.

"Alan what's happening?" Dad asks even though I know he's jumped to the same conclusion that I have.

"Hold on Dad, just one more minute ok?" Alan replies, distracted by whatever Fermat's doing. We all wait, holding our breath until we hear Fermat, saying the words none of us wanted to hear.

"_It's not gonna work Alan. The signal's too weak for data transmission." _Alan whips his head round to face the computer screen again.

"Dad can you hear me? They're sending a signal so we're gonna lose you. Don't worry, I'll take care of everything ok?" I shake my head slightly. He can't go up against the Hood. Not alone – he'll lose. Dad was obviously thinking the same thing because he quickly replied,

"That's a negative it's too dangerous. Follow emergency procedure. Wait for Lady Penelope at the rendezvous point. Alan can you hear me?" By now, the signal being sent from the Hood is so strong that my brothers' face isn't staying in one place for more than a couple of seconds. The fuzzy picture was starting to make me dizzy. Suddenly, the computer gives into the signal and goes black. I look up at my dad.

"Do you think he will? Go to the rendezvous point I mean?" Before my dad can answer, Scott jumps in.

"No. He's too stubborn. He'll try to help us on his own." I sigh, knowing my brother is right. We're all stubborn, it's a Tracy trait but Dad, Scott and Alan are the worst. At this point, I'm not sure whether that's a good thing. I shift my weight a little to relieve John's leg. I feel him nestle his face into my hair which makes me smile. My brothers used to do that a lot when I was little. After my mom died. I think it reassured them that I was there and that I was ok.

"Come on you lot. We've still got time to try and help your brother. Scott, Virge and Gordon all nod and head off to finish what they were doing before Alan interrupted. I could feel the sweat trickling down my neck and I reached up in an effort to get rid of the uncomfortable trickling feeling. I wasn't alone. As I watched my family work, they were copying me. Desperately trying to convince themselves that they weren't overheating. I sighed and leant back onto Johns shoulder. I could quite easily drop off to sleep. John gently elbowed my head.

"Ow." I mumble half heartedly.

"Come on Abs, keep your eyes open." This gains the attention of Virgil who walks over and crouches down in front of me.

"Abby?"

"Mmm?"

"You need to stay awake, remember." I nod a little, before turning slightly in an effort to bury myself into John's shoulder. Pretending I was lying at home in bed. I hear Virgil sigh and whisper something to John who chuckles. I frown a little. They were plotting against me. I knew they were. I was just too tired and in too much pain to care. All of a sudden I was pulled off of John's lap and felt Virgil's fingers tickling my sides. I screamed.

"Ow – Virgil stop! Get off me!" I yell, thrashing around in an attempt to free myself from his clutches. I was distantly aware of everyone watching us.

"No way little sister. If this is the only way to keep you awake then I'm gonna carry on tickling you." He wasn't lying either.

"Ok, ok – I surrender! I'll keep my eyes open!" I look up at Virgil's face, silently begging him to stop. He raises his eyebrow.

"Promise."

"I promise!" Abruptly, the tickling stops. I sigh in relief before elbowing him neatly in the ribs.

"Ow! What was that for?" He asks, rubbing his side.

"For tickling me and making the pain a whole lot worse!" I say, watching in amusement as alarm takes over my brother's face.

"What hurts Abs. I'm sorry, I didn't realise it would still hurt. I thought the morphine would have taken effect – why didn't you tell me?" He says in one breath. I laugh.

"Virge, I hurt all over. I have done since I woke up. You must have given me the tiniest amount of morphine because it hasn't done a fat lot. And, I did try and tell you but it's difficult to do when you're being tickled to death!" I watch as Virgil glares at me. He hates being proved wrong. I decide a quick exit would do me good so I, unsteadily, make my way over to Gordon and whisper in his ear,

"Help me Gordy, the mother hens are out to get me!" Which makes him burst into peals of laughter.

"I promise to look after you." He says, in between laughs. He wraps his arm around me. "After all, we young'uns have to stick together." This makes me laugh. I clutch my ribs in agony but I can't stop. Gordon has the ability to make me laugh no matter what.

* * *

A while later and I'm leaning up against Gordon, willing myself to stay awake. I look up as Dad suddenly speaks.

"Whew! Somebody roll down a window, it's getting a little hot in here." I have to smile. Trust Dad to try and keep our morale up. It doesn't work though.

"Re-entry into earth's atmosphere in 37 minutes." Virgil reports.

"Oxygen will be down at 30, so we won't feel a thing." I feel my stomach drop. I've never heard Scott say something like that. Like he's given up. It scares me.

"Stop it!" Dad says.

"Come on Dad. Situations hopeless." Gordon says. I look at him in surprise. Scott sounding depressed was one thing, but for Gordon to sound the same way was completely different. I knew things were really, really bad.

"We've still got time." I mumble sleepily into Gordon's chest. I hear Gordon snort.

"Alan? He's just a kid!" I look up through my eyelashes and catch a glimpse of Dad's face. Shocked and surprised that Gordon – happy go-lucky, never depressed Gordon – has given up.

"He's a Tracy." Dad replies firmly. I'm glad Dad said that. I was worried that he might agree. After all the arguments he and Alan have had he might have done. I'm glad he defended Alan – he deserves a chance. An alarm sounds. I suppose it's quite loud, just like all the other alarms have been, but it sounds so far away. I feel my body relax as the gravity gives way. I feel Gordon catch my waist so I don't float away. It's so hard to keep my eyes open now. It's so relaxing. Just floating. I close my eyes and, as I do so, I hear Gordon call my name. I don't respond. It's so much effort. Even the pain has faded away in the absence of gravity. I hear Gordon calling Virgil and then another pair of hands are on my face. Stroking my cheek and calling my name. Telling me to wake up. Willing me to open my eyes. I can hear the pain in their voice. It kills me but as hard as I try I can't open my eyes. My body doesn't want to. My family's voices become fainter and fainter as I drift into the comfortable blackness once more. The last thing I feel before I lose consciousness is someone gently kissing my forehead. And then…nothing more.


	6. Nothing else matters

I don't know how long I was out for but it seemed like years. I slowly came to when I felt Gordon let go of my waist and heard Dad talking to someone. As I slowly became conscious I became more aware of the conversation. Or at least the person on the other end. Alan. My brother was ok! then, John broke my reverie.

"Confirmed! We're back online!" A few seconds after, I felt myself falling back to the floor.

"Oof!" I said as I hit the floor with a loud thud. I opened my eyes and met Scott's gaze.

"You Ok?" He asked gently as he helped me to sit up, one arm behind my back. I started to nod, when, a sharp pain shot down my side. I cried out and clung to Scott's suit. He rubbed my back gently and called Virgil over. I tried to take deep breaths to calm myself down. To convince myself that the pain wasn't so bad. However, just as I thought this, another sharp pain shot down my body and I had to bite my lip to stop myself from crying out again. Tears were filling my eyes and it took all of my energy not to let them spill over. I heard Dad finish the conversation with my brother and I knew that we would soon be leaving. I couldn't wait much longer. I struggled free of Scott's grasp and shakily stood up. I grasped onto something metal – I didn't know what it was. All I knew was, at that point it was the only thing keeping me upright. I saw my brothers stand up and watch me carefully. We all jumped as Dad suddenly called,

"OK guys we are outta here." Those were the words we had all been waiting to hear for the past four hours. Virgil and Gordon went to open the hatch and I watched as John put his arm around Dad's shoulder to help him walk. I took a deep breath, ignoring the pain that caused me and took a hesitant step forward. And then another. Until I promptly tripped over something (my own feet probably) and fell into Scott's arms.

"Easy Abs." He said softly as he helped me up and put his arm round my back again to support me. With his help, we eventually made it to Thunderbird 3 but it took what little energy I had left. I collapsed into the seat and Scott had to put the seat restraint over me. He smiled down at me and turned to go but I grabbed his hand before he could do so. He looked at me in surprise.

"Thanks Scotty." I mumble. He looked pleased, but confused. He turned to face me and crouched down in front of me.

"Thanks for what?"

"For looking after me. You're the best." He smiles at me and brushes a stray strand of hair out of my eyes.

"You're welcome Abby." He whispers before standing up and walking to his seat, a grin still on his face. I smiled to myself. I knew I'd just made his day. But I honestly didn't say it just to pleas Scott, I honestly did mean it. I groaned as I sat up straight in my seat. The pain wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. I sighed. I guess I'll just have to get used to it. At least the ride was still relatively smooth. We'd lost one of the boosters during our stay but it didn't seem to be affecting us yet. Almost as if he'd read my mind, I heard Gordon announce in his best 'air hostess' voice:

"Ladies and Gentlemen if you could make sure your seat restraints are securely fastened we will be hitting the atmosphere in approximately one and a half minutes. We apologise in advance for the quality of the ride as _someone"_ Gordon shoots a mocking glare at John who's trying hard not to laugh "decided to blow up their craft thereby damaging the rescue vehicle." At this point, me and John both lose control and burst out laughing. I look at Dad and see he's trying his best not to laugh as well. "_Anyway," _Gordon continues, "if you could also ensure your seats are in the upright position and any luggage has been securely stowed we will begin our descent. Thank you for choosing to fly with Thunderbird Airlines…" at that point dad reached forward and gently smacked Gordon upside the head and said,

"Thank you for that Gordon but is it too much to ask for some assistance with the 'descent'?" By now we're all rolling about in our seats laughing. Trust Gordon to try to lighten the mood.

"FAB" Gordon replies smirking slightly. Just in time too because then we hit the atmosphere. The ride was awful. I was pressed back into my seat and I couldn't stop shaking. You wouldn't think losing one booster would make such a difference but it really does. The pain was incredible. I thought walking was hard but it's nothing compared to this. The vibrations shaking through the rocket constantly hit my body making the pain unbearable. It's all I can do not to give in to the blackness that's once again threatening to overcome me.

Eventually, the shaking stops. The signal that we're back on earth. I'm in too much pain to be happy though. I try to mask my discomfort from my family. The last thing I want is for them to be fussing over me. I lean back in my seat and concentrate on my breathing. Blocking everything else out. in the background, I hear Dad talking to Brains but I don't listen. I just focus on breathing in and out, in and out. Trying to stop the pain from breaking me. I'm dreading the time when we land and I have to get out again.

That time comes all too soon. I hear Dad preparing for landing and then feel the huge red rocket turn so the nose it pointing up towards the sky. The rocket jolts slightly as we land and I bite down on my lip to stop me from making a sound as another round of pain rushes through my body. I follow everyone else, standing up from my seat and pushing my body past its limits to run to the side of the River Thames with the rest of my family. I scan the water for Thunderbird 4. Knowing that my brother and Tin Tin are inside, completing their first ever mission inside the Thunderbirds. Suddenly, I see the yellow fin of Thunderbird 4 break the surface followed by the monorail that fell into the river when the Hood drilled through the supports with the Mole. I join in with the cheering and hugging, the pain forgotten for a moment. Because, in that moment, nothing else mattered to me. My family was alive and together and nothing was ever going to come between us. I remembered what Scott had said only yesterday, but it felt like a lifetime ago now. "I'm not going to let a bit of wind stop me from getting home am I?" We weren't going to let the Hood tear us apart. Not now, not ever. That would be letting him win. With that thought in mind, I pushed through the pain that coursed through my body as I ran, with my family to where my brother was waiting for us.


	7. Anything you want to say Abigail?

I joined my family by the steps and grinned as Alan and Tin Tin ran up from the Thames.

"Glad you could finally join us" Alan joked. Dad grabbed him and ruffled his hair.

"Hey don't go getting cocky after one mission. We still have a dangerous situation here. I need you boys to close down this accident scene, Tin Tin go get Fermat, Alan and Abby you come with me." I nod and run after my dad and brother towards Thunderbird 1 and hear Alan tell Dad that Lady Penelope had already gone after the Hood. I climbed into the back of Thunderbird 1 and settled back into my seat, watching my Dad and brother flipping switches. I smiled. It was nice to see them getting along so well. Then, Alan asks something that surprises me and Dad.

"What was mom like?" He seems embarrassed to ask yet I wanted to know too. Alan was only three when mom died and, although he some vague memories of her, I know it's hard for him when all the others have strong memories of her. I can sympathise with Alan because I had only just celebrated my first birthday when she died, so I don't remember her at all.

"Well, she was a lot like you." Dad replies simply. To other people, this might not sound like much of an explanation but to me and Alan, it was all we needed to know. Alan smiled at dad.

"Come on, we've got a job to do" dad smiles back. As we take off once again I grit my teeth as the vibrations that run through the rocket also run through my body. I'm determined not to give into this pain but it was hard. It was so hard not to let my family know. We couldn't get to the Bank of London fast enough.

When we reached the Bank, we met Parker who was pulling up in FAB1. Impeccable timing as always. As we ran through the corridors of the Bank, dad suddenly stopped and turned to look at us.

"You guys stay here with Parker, I'm gonna go find Lady Penelope." I was only too happy to do as he said, the pain was intensifying with all this running. Alan on the other hand, looked horrified.

"But what about the Hood?" He yelled to dads retreating back. I watch him sigh but then I see the glint in his eyes. The same glint that Gordon gets when he's plotting a prank. I watch him warily.

"Look out Parker!" Alan yells suddenly, pointing behind Parker's back. I turn back just as his back disappears round the corner. I shake my head. Honestly, I love him, but he can be such an idiot sometimes.

"Master Tracy" Parker shouts.

"I'll go after him." I mumble, taking a deep breath and break into a run after my brother. I climb over the rubble created by the mole and spot my dad and Lady Penelope trapped in a cage, watching Alan as he struggles to get up from the floor. My gaze makes it to the man who had already tried to kill my family today. I know that he's the reason my brother is lying on the floor in front of the cage and I see red. I hear dad telling him to run but my brother says something very interesting.

"He's getting weaker…_cough_…he can't last much longer." He pushes himself up and heads towards the mole as dad shouts,

"Neither can you!" I watch in horror as Alan starts to climb up the blades of the mole. Why couldn't he do as he was told? I ask myself but I already know the answer. When someone messes with our family, they live to regret it. It's a well known fact. Alan is just living up to that. I gasp as suddenly, the mole starts up, almost cutting my brother in two. He manages to jump onto the railing above the mole but he's left dangling precariously above the dangerous machine. I spot a ladder leading up to the platform and, as quietly as possible, run over to it and start climbing up. I hear Alan cry out and I climb faster, knowing he doesn't have much time.

I get to the top of the platform and watch for a second as this madman tries to prise Alan's hand off the railing. I run towards them and jump on top of the Hood, forcing him to take a step back, letting Alan grasp the railing once more. The Hood throws me off and turns to face me, an evil grin on his face. I take a hesitant step back, not taking my eyes off his face. All of a sudden, his eyes turn yellow. The pupils aren't round anymore, they're slits. They look like cat's eyes. I try to turn away, to raise my arm to shield my eyes but I can't. I'm frozen there and I've never been more scared. He takes a step towards me and I know that my dad is watching.

"Do you have anything you want to say to your family Abigail?" The Hood asks silkily.

"I'm sorry daddy." I manage to say before I'm pushed off the platform. The last thing I hear before I hit the ground is Alan yelling my name.

**I've just realised how many times Abigail has blacked out in this story…oh well**.** Thank you so much for your kind reviews it makes me so happy. I'll be uploading at least another chapter tonight but there may be another one – aren't you lucky! **

**Well, I've come to the end of the movie (at least for now) so from now on it's all my own ideas (feel sorry for Abby!) lots of love mysweetcupcake xx **


	8. Hold on

**Ok, so 2 chapters in one night – I'm on a roll! So Abby has been pushed off a platform and, with her injuries from Thunderbird 5 it's not looking good. The story continues after Jeff and Penny have been released from the cage, the Hood and his minions **_**(good word minions)**_** have been arrested and Alan and his brothers have been reunited. Because Abby is unconscious border comatose **_**(Ohhh get me!)**_** the next few chapters will be from Scott's POV. So bear with me, this could take some getting used to. So, without further ado… on with the show yay!**

I ran ahead, leading the way for my brothers who were hot on my heels. I watched as the black uniform of a police officer raced around the corner in front of us. This was bad. This was very, very bad. As I clambered over the rubble by the mole I paused to take in the scene and I heard my brothers do the same. The place was a mess. There were police officers everywhere and most of them were covered in dust from the rubble. I spotted Alan with dad and Lady Penelope. I smiled when I saw dad had one arm round Alan. He did real good today. The smile quickly turned to a frown. I couldn't see Abby anywhere. I walked over to where dad and Alan were sitting and stopped when I saw what they were looking at. My little sister. Lying on the floor.

I felt my knees give way and ended up sitting next to my dad staring at my sister's pale face while a paramedic worked over her. I couldn't believe this had happened. Not just to her but to the whole family. I looked back as my brothers came and stood around us, no one saying a word. Waiting for the paramedic to finish up. Time seemed to stand still.

"I need a back board and neck brace over here!" The paramedic yells, making us all look up in alarm.

"What's going on?" Gordon asks. But the paramedic doesn't answer, she just takes the equipment handed to her by two other paramedics and begins to prepare my sister to go to hospital. We stand up as the paramedics lift the board up and take her outside. I look over at Alan. He looks like he's seen a ghost. _And no wonder, _I think to myself, _after everything he's been through today. _I walk over and put my arm round him, smiling a little as he automatically leans into me. I'm all too happy to support him like this. I haven't exactly been the best big brother to Alan lately. _Well that's about to change. _I promise myself with grim resolve. I just wish it hadn't taken this to make me see that I've been treating Alan like a china doll. Just like I've been treating Abs I realise. I can't, no, won't think about that now. Instead, I bend my head down to Alan's ear and whisper,

"You ok Sprout?" I feel him stiffen a little, as if he's shocked that I've asked him. I must have hurt him more than I thought.

"Better than Abs." He mumbles into my flight suit. I stop walking and bend down so I'm looking straight at him. Neither of us has anywhere to hide.

"Hey, listen to me. She'll get through this. After everything you two have been through today, I don't think there's much you can't do." I reassure him with a smile. I watch his face as he realises I've taken myself and the rest of the family out of the statement. I did it for a reason. Although we've been shaken by this, we're…better prepared…for this than the two youngest. They've both done so well. I watch as Alan's blue eyes fill with tears. I'm shocked. Alan doesn't cry. He hasn't since he was about seven. "What's wrong Sprout? What hurts?" I say, automatically slipping into 'mother-hen mode' as Gordon calls it.

"It's my fault she's like that." He whispers. I stare at him. What is he talking about?

"No Al, it's not your fault. It's…"

"No Scotty it is. She took on the Hood because he was hurting me. She hurt herself so that I would be ok. If I'd listened to dad she'd be ok now." He blurts out, starting to sob. By now, everyone else had turned to look at us bar Lady Penelope as she was climbing into the ambulance to look after Abby while we dropped the Thunderbirds off at home.

"Shush Alan shush." I say, hugging him to me. "It's not your fault she got hurt Alan. What you did today was so brave – I couldn't have done it. You were protecting your family and so was Abby. If you hadn't disobeyed dad, the Hood wouldn't be on his way to prison right now and he would have done who knows what to dad and Lady Penelope. I'm – we're – all so proud of you Allie." He looks up at me, his cheeks stained with tears.

"Really?" He croaks. I smile and nod.

"Really." I repeat. "Come on now, the sooner we get home, the sooner we'll be back for Abs. She was there for you when you needed help, so now you've got to repay the favour. Got it?" I ask. Alan nods and stands up, wiping away the tears. He starts to walk towards the others when he stops and waits for me to catch up.

"Scott?" He asks and I can tell he's nervous.

"Yeah Sprout?"

"Can I help you fly Thunderbid 1 home?" I look at him. As a rule, it takes a lot to make me let someone else fly my bird but, after everything the kids been through today – why not indulge him a little?

"Sure Al. I'll be glad of the company." The way his face lights up in that moment makes me glad I'd agreed. I haven't seen him like that for ages and it made me happy. I laughed as he ran off to the silver rocket. Then, I caught a glimpse of the ambulance pulling away, sirens blaring. I watched it go and sent a message to my little sister.

_Hold on Abs. we're coming. _Then, I ran off after Alan – anything to speed up the journey home.

**Ok – I'll admit that was rubbish! But it should, hopefully, get better in time. Just a little Scott and Alan fluff to keep you all going. See you all soon mysweetcupcake xx**


	9. Our rock

**I'm baaaaccckkk! I'm sorry I haven't posted for a while I was on holiday so, unfortunately, didn't have time to update. But I'm back now so the wait is over ~ yay **** enjoy…**

* * *

The journey home took forever. Thunderbird 1 was at maximum thrust but it wasn't fast enough. Out of the corner of my eyes I saw a flash of green that was Thunderbird 2. I knew on the other side, Dad was pushing Thunderbird 3 just as hard as me and Virge were pushing our birds. No one had said anything so far.

_I don't think we've ever not spoken on our way home from a mission. _I thought, glancing over at Alan as he quietly flicked switches on the console in front of him, deep in thought. I sighed. _Then again, we haven't been this worried about a member of our family since Gordon's hydrofoil accident. _I concentrated on the huge ocean that flying past underneath me as I thought back to the day I heard about that. Mom had died a year before, I was in the Air Force and Abby had just celebrated her second birthday. It was late when the call came through and to this day I don't think I've ever heard Dad so worried.

* * *

'_Scott?' _From that one word I knew something was wrong.

'Dad? What's happened? What's wrong?'

'_Scott, its Gordon.' _Dad says slowly. I hold my breath, waiting for him to continue. To tell me what had happened to my little brother. _'He was involved in an accident. His hydrofoil crashed and…' _I hear him take a deep breath to try and calm himself down. That's when I realised how bad this situation was. My whole world came crashing down around me.

'How bad is he?' I croak.

'_He's bad son. The doctor's say he might not be able to walk again.'_

* * *

I blink suddenly as I'm pulled out of my daydream, the pain still there from that day. I didn't think I'd ever experience pain like that again until I saw Abby lying on the bank floor, broken and bruised. I feel tears welling in my eyes and I blink quickly to try and get rid of them.

'Scott!' Alan yells. I jump in my seat and turn to look at him, noticing the fear in his eyes.

'Sorry sprout. What's wrong?' I ask, trying to calm him down.

'You just blanked out Scott. I've been calling you for ages and you wouldn't respond…' Alan gabbles.

'Woah Sprout easy. I'm sorry Al, I was just thinking about Abby. I didn't mean to scare you. What's up?' I ask gently so I don't freak him out again. The last thing I needed was Alan to have a full on panic attack in Thunderbird 1. I watched my little brother carefully trying to assess whether he **was **going to have a break down. He looked stable enough right now but it could go downhill quickly. I knew from experience.

'I just thought I should tell you that we're about 20 miles from home.' He looks down at his feet.

'Thanks Sprout.' I reach over and ruffle his hair, smiling as he looks up sharpish. 'If you hadn't told me I'd have overshot the island.' Alan grins at me.

'Oh damn, why did I tell you? That would have been quite entertaining. Perfect Scott messing up…' I smacked him gently upside the head.

'When we get out of here you're so dead.' I growl playfully. I lean forward and start to prepare my bird for landing. I turn her so the nose is point upright and start to gently lower her down into her hiding place under the pool. I undid my harness and wrapped my arm round Alan's shoulders as we walked towards the house to wait for Thunderbirds 2 and 3 to get here.

I couldn't get the image of Abby lying there on the floor out of my head. I should have made her stay with us at the monorail accident scene. Where I could keep an eye on her. I shouldn't have let her run off to face that mad man. The same can be said for Alan as well. God knows how he's still standing after today. I sneak a glance down at him and see a blank look on my little brother's face. My heart sinks further, which I thought was impossible.

"Alan?" I ask gently, trying to coax him out of his reverie. He doesn't reply and I feel my heartbeat start to quicken. John was hurt, Abby was in hospital and I had no idea how Virgil and Gordon were coping. I couldn't lose Alan as well. I thought our chat at the bank earlier had helped and maybe it had for a while. But whatever he was thinking about was not good and I doubted he would share it with me. I tried calling his name again, louder this time and this time, thankfully, he responded.

"Scotty?" He whispered. My eyes widened at the nickname. Alan sounded so…young. So vulnerable. Like a kid. I reach out and put a hand on his shoulder.

"What's wrong Allie?" I ask softly. The fear in his eyes scares me. No kid should ever have to know that kind of fear. The fear of losing his entire family in the space of a few hours. I watch as his eyes flicker down so he's looking at his feet. I put my finger under his chin, gently lifting his face so he was looking at me.

"It's ok Allie, you can tell me." He opens his mouth like he's about to speak but he's interrupted by the door's opening on John, Gordon, Virgil and Dad's portraits. We both look up, surprised slightly by their entrance. I watch as Dad notices the position me and Alan are in and concern is evident on his face. He hurridly walks over and bends down so he's the same height as Alan.

"Are you ok Al?" He asks as I stand back, giving them both some space. I walk over to my brothers.

"What's wrong with Alan?" John asks immediately. I shrug.

"He's scared John." I say simply.

"Scared of what?" Gordon asks. Fear suddenly starts dancing in his eyes. "He's…he's not scared of us is he Scott?" He asks hesitantly. This statement shocks me into silence for a moment. I'd never have expected this from Gordon. Then I realise. They might not be as close as they were when they were kids, but Alan and Gordon would always be partners in crime. Looking out for each other in their own special way.

"Of course he's not scared of us fish. He's scared of the Hood and he's scared for Abby and he's scared because he almost lost us today. But he's not scared of us specifically." I try to reassure him but Gordon's statement has left a tiny sliver of doubt. Alan wasn't scared of us, was he? I mean, we might have drifted apart a little when he went to boarding school but we're his brothers. He knows we'd never hurt him – doesn't he. I'm startled out of my thoughts by Dad walking up to us, his arm wrapped protectively round our little brother.

"Right boys, I need you to pack a bag with some clean clothes before we set off. I don't want to stay longer than half an hour if possible. Ok?" Dad says, still in commander mode. We all nod.

"Have you heard anything?" Virgil asks. We all watch Dad as he shakes his head.

"Not from the hospital. Penny said that Abby's gone straight into surgery but the hospital won't tell her anything else because she's not family." I sigh. I know the hospital wants to keep 'patient confidentiality' and won't give patient information to anyone other than family but right now, Penny is the only source of information we have on Abby. Until we get there we haven't got anyone else relaying us information. What if something happened during surgery? Would they tell Penny? Or would they wait for us to get there? I shake my head as I walk along the corridor to my room, trying to get rid of those thoughts. Nothing is going to happen to Abby. Nothing.

* * *

I'm working on autopilot. Throwing clothes into an overnight bag without really seeing them. I keep thinking about Alan. He's been through so much today and he's done us all proud. I just hope he realises that. I think back to Gordon's statement, back on 5 before the gravity went. Dad was trying to keep our spirits up but even I was sure we were done for. My stomach drops when I think about how little faith we had in Alan, Fermat and Tin Tin. All three of them did an amazing job today and we should never have doubted them. Gordon's statement reiterates this feeling that we let our brother down today.

"_Alan? He's just a kid!" _I know that Gordon didn't mean it. Not really. We were all tired and bruised but…how could we doubt him like that? He managed to contact us – well, Fermat did but still. I wouldn't have thought of doing that. He's smarter than we give him credit for. Dad's answer to Gordon taught me something though.

"_He's a Tracy."_

Tracy's are tough. We can do a lot more than people give us credit for. I zip the bag up and sling it over my shoulder. As I walked out of my room, my thoughts once again turned to my sister.

I hated thinking of her lying on a hospital bed alone. Just thinking about it made me shiver. Why didn't she tell us the pain was worse? I think in exasperation. Surely, once we'd got out of 5 she'd tell one of us? Then I remember John. His face was so pale under the harsh lights of 3. You could see how much pain he was in. Abigail probably noticed and decided her pain was nothing compared to his.

"You should have told us Abs. We could have helped." I mutter under my breath as I retrace my steps back down the corridor, listening as my brothers hurridly pack their bags. I wonder what they're thinking about. I don't even realise what I'm doing, or where I'm going until I see John sat on the floor, his head resting on his arms on the white duvet. I drop my bag as I walk in and watch as he suddenly lifts his head, as if embarrassed or surprised to be found in here. I smile softly at him, trying to let him know that it's ok to be in here.

"I want her here Scotty." He whispers, so quietly I struggle to catch it. I nod as I walk over to him, adopting the same position, cross legged on the carpet.

"I know Johnny. We all want her here." Now I'm closer I can see he's been crying. His tear stained cheeks make him look eight years old. I wrap my arm around his shoulders and hold him close as he starts to sob again. As I hug my brother I look around the room. It's a typical 12 year old girl's room. Light pink walls, teddies lining the room. I smile. She might almost be a teenager but Abby will never get rid of her teddies. The only difference that I know of (having only one sister) is that the walls aren't covered in posters from magazines, but paintings done by Virgil. Paintings of brightly coloured flowers lining a waterfall hidden deep in the forest on the island, and portraits of all of us. It's at this moment I realise how much we mean to her. I've become so used to being a second father that I've stopped noticing how much my younger siblings look up to me. That sounds big headed but it's true. I think back to the conversation we had after the oil rig mission in Russia yesterday – was it only yesterday? She sounded so relieved that I was ok. I couldn't imagine what thoughts were running through her head as she watched the mission on the news. I look down at John and notice he's stopped sobbing.

"You feel better now?" I ask, brushing away a stray tear. He nods.

"Sorry. I didn't realise I needed to do that." I shrug.

"I'd rather you do it now than in front of her." We stand up and John reaches over and picks something up from her pillow. He hugs it to his chest for a moment before explaining.

"Remember when she was a baby? She couldn't sleep without him. One day we lost him and we couldn't get her to go to sleep." I smile, remembering the frantic searches for the lost teddy. Listening as Virgil tried to get her to sleep whilst playing lullaby's on the piano.

"She always was stubborn. It turned out he was 'hiding' under the couch. She fell asleep as soon as he was safely in her arms." I reach out and stroke the faded fur. He doesn't have a name. Just 'teddy.' He was the first teddy Abby had as a baby and she still loves him as much as she did then. His fur has been flattened from where she's slept on his and he's now a faded chocolate brown instead of the deep brown he was twelve years ago. I smile as John continues to squeeze the life out of the poor thing.

"Careful John, you damage him Abby will kill you" I say only half joking. Even Gordon knows that touching Abby's bear means certain death. John chuckles softly, releasing the bear from his grip.

"She should have him. It might make her feel better when she wakes up. Knowing he's there." He says. I nod. I look around the room again, also wanting to take something familiar and comforting to the cold hospital. My eyes land on the blanket at the end of the bed. I pick it up and stroke one of the fabric squares absently. Grandma made this for Abby's ninth birthday. It took her ages to make but it was worth it, seeing Abby's face light up when she unwrapped it. It's a patchwork quilt, made with our old clothes. Scraps of our lives all locked together on one quilt. Some of my old Air Force uniform is on here, Dad and John's polo tops from NASA – there's something from everyone. Even mom has some 'squares' on there. This quilt sums my sister up. It's simple and beautiful and comforting and that's exactly who Abigail is. She got the best qualities from each of us and she's always there when we need her. She's our rock.

I look over at John, silently asking him if he's ready for this. He nods and we walk over to the door, picking up our bags on the way. I close the door and wrap my arm round my brother once more, both of us holding onto our treasures tightly. Everyone's waiting for us in Dad's office and they all look surprised when they see what we're carrying.

"Abby will want them." John says quietly. Dad smiles and nods before saying,

"Everyone ready." We all nod but I'm not sure we are. Virgil is copying me, his arm wrapped round Gordon, trying to comfort the usually energetic Tracy. I frown. You know a situation is bad when Gordon stands still. We gather our things and head out to Tracy 1. We stow our bags and I climb into the cockpit next to Dad. I jump slightly when Dad reaches over and puts his hand on my knee.

"Alright Scooter?" He asks as he continues to flip switches. I nod.

"I'm fine Dad." I hesitate for a second before adding, "I just want to see my sister." Dad looks at me in surprise before saying,

"I know son. I want to see her too."

* * *

**Awww - gotta love John's thoughtfulness. I've been in hospital before and all I wanted was my teddy :) and I had to throw the quilt in - I wanted Lucy involved somehow and that seemed perfect. But what will happen when the Tracy's get to the hospital? What is wrong with Abby and how will the family cope? I'll update soon I promise lol (lots of love) mysweetcupcake xx**


	10. She's our world

**Hey guys – thank you so, so, so, so, so much for all of your lovely reviews. Reading them really does make my day and I love that you're enjoying the story. Also, a note about the following chapters, although I have researched what kind of injuries Abby has I'll admit that I'm gonna make some up, because I'm really rubbish at this medical stuff lol xx**

* * *

As we crossed the hospital foyer I saw Daniel White pacing by the reception desk. I couldn't help but smile. He never could stand still – he's very much like Gordon in that way. We walked over to him and I felt my smile disappear when I saw the tense look on his face. Daniel White was never stressed. Emphasis on the never. That's when I realised how bad the situation was. I mean, the man's looked after all of us since the day we were born! I'm sure we must hold the world record for the longest time spent in a hospital. But I've never once seen him this stressed. Dad had obviously noticed this too. Dan looks up as we get closer and I watch as he quickly pastes a smile on his face. But it's too late. We've all seen. We all know the smile is fake but I appreciate his effort – trying to get a small sense of normality into our meeting.

"Hey Jeff." He says, grabbing Dad's hand and wrapping him in a friendly hug.

"Hey Dan. How is she?" Dad replies, returning the hug. I watch his shoulders relax slightly and I'm glad to see Dan still has the calming effect on my father. I don't know what this family would do without him. Instead of answering Dad's question he pulls Gordon into a one armed hug and looks down at his copper hair fondly.

"Still not as tall as me yet kid. Not by a long shot."

"Hey just 'cos you inherited the giant genes like Scott doesn't make me a midget like Virge." Gordon protests as he tries to keep his face stern but failing miserably.

"Oi, I'm not that small!" Virgil retorts, giving Gordon a noogie.

"Boys." Dad says firmly but I notice he has a small smile on his face. Virgil and Gordon pull apart and I realise that I've forgotten where we are for a few, blissful moments. Dad pulls me firmly back into reality. "Dan, you didn't answer my question." Dan sighs and I know he's been dreading this for a while.

"Ok," he says, running a hand through his hair. "The good news is the surgery was successful however we've got a long way till we're out of the woods. Abby sustained quite a few injuries including three broken ribs. Her left arm and leg were broken from the fall at the bank and she's also fractured her skull. The most damage was done by the broken ribs. Did she complain of chest pains at any point?" He asks. I try to think back but it's all a blur. I look over at Virgil and see him nod slowly.

"Yeah, after the heat exchanger blew out up on 5 she was knocked unconscious for a few moments. When she woke up she was complaining that her side hurt. I gave her a small shot of morphine to try and take the edge off and I thought that had done the trick. She might have mentioned it before the gravity went but she didn't say anything on the journey back to earth." I watch Dan scribble this down on his notepad and nod at Virgil's answer.

"That explains how she broke the ribs in the first place. Now from what the surgeon tells me, one of the broken ribs was a clean break and that was what was causing her pain up on 5."

"So the other ribs were broken at the bank?" John asks softly. I wrap my arm round him comfortingly, trying to ease his pain. Dan nods.

"Yes, however these were the ribs that caused the most damage. Abby was thrown so hard that the ribs were not…broken cleanly." I smiled a little as Dan tried to 'dumb down' the technical medical jargon so we could understand. It was so…Dan. "Small splinters of the bone were lodged into Abby's lung making it difficult for her to breathe." I held my breath, waiting for him to continue. To say the words I knew were coming. _Please don't let her have stopped breathing. Not even for a minute. I don't think I could bear it. _My silent pleas went unanswered though.

"I have to tell you Jeff, Abby did stop breathing during surgery." I closed my eyes, willing the tears to stay inside. I felt John grip tightly onto my shirt but I couldn't respond. All I could think was _she stopped breathing. She stopped breathing._ I didn't think I could speak but I surprised myself by managing to croak,

"What happened?" I open my eyes to watch Dan's face. All I see is concern. Not just for my sister but for all of us as well. It's one of the many reasons I'm glad Dan is Abby's doctor. He knows her. He knows what she needs but he also understands what this will do to us. And he is genuinely upset and sympathetic. He loves her as much as we do.

"She suffered a Pneumothorax."

"A what?" Gordon interrupts impatiently.

"A Pneumothorax. A collapsed lung. Eventually, her lung couldn't inflate any longer and collapsed. Because of this we've had to put Abby on a ventilator to help her breathe." That was the tipping point for Gordon. He turns on his heel and runs out of the door. I start to release myself from John's iron grip but Virgil quietly says,

"I'll go after him." Noticing my expression he adds. "Honest Scotty its fine. You stay here and find out what's wrong, I'll just read the notes later." I nod, smiling slightly. We're silent for a moment before Dan continues.

"Her ribs have been strapped up though and the splinters have been removed from her lung and the surgeon is confident that she'll make a full recover." Dad nods, walking over to stand on the other side of John and wrapping his arm round him too.

"You…you said she'd fractured her skull too…" John whispers. Dan nods slowly, obviously trying to gauge whether John can take this news as well.

"Just tell us Dan. Get it over with." Dad prompts him gently. Dan sighs.

"Although her skull wasn't broken the force was great enough to cause serious damage." He looks up from his data-pad. "Guys, Abigail is in a coma." That pushed John too far. I managed to catch him before his head hit the ground and I watched as his eyes rolled back into his head. John collapsing just reiterated the fact that this was a really, really bad situation. It takes a lot to make John collapse. This is probably why it's never happened. But then, Abby is a lot. She's our world.

All around us, doctors and nurses were rushing to John's aide but I couldn't move from where I was sat. I absentmindedly ran my fingers through his blonde hair as I cradled John's head to my lap. I couldn't believe this was happening. First Abby and now John. A sudden thought made my stomach churn. The Hood was succeeding. He was tearing our family apart slowly. Limb by limb. And that made it worse. And it made me more determined than ever to stop that from happening. I felt someone gently tugging my arm and I looked up realising it was Gordon.

"Come on Scott – let them look after Johnny." Gordon murmured. I hadn't realised he and Virge had come back. He'd been crying. That much was obvious but as I looked into his eyes I saw he had realised the same thing that I had. A look of steel determination shone in his eyes and I know that that same determination was reflected in my eyes too. Reluctantly, I let the doctors lift my brother onto a gurney and stood up, watching them wheel him down the corridor.

"I'll make sure John's in the same room as Abby." Dan said, reassuring dad who looked like he was carrying the world on his shoulders. I haven't seen him this…lost…since those horrible years when he withdrew into himself after mom's death. When me and John became surrogate fathers. I think that's why Abby's injuries have hit John so hard. Abby was so little when mom died that we practically raised her ourselves. We're so close to all of our siblings that when any of them are injured it kills us a little inside. I watch dad nod absently, still watching as his second son is taken away down the corridor. Virgil takes his arm gently and says,

"Come on dad, let's go see Abby." That seems to knock some life back into Dad. Me and Gordon walk over and our presence seems to convince dad that we will be ok. Eventually. It's like as long as all of us are breathing there's still hope. And there is. As long as we're together. I put my arm round my copper haired sibling and watch as Virgil wraps his arm round Alan. Dad in the middle. A symbol of our unity. A message to the world that Tracy's aren't easily broken. As we started walking down the corridor behind Dan my thoughts turned once again to my sister and now my brother. They had to be ok. They just had to be.


	11. Your crazy family

**Hello again – I just wanted to apologise for the mix up – I uploaded the last chapter at like 11 o'clock on a school night and I was tired and I accidentally re-uploaded Chapter 9 – thanks to Kim for pointing that out to me. The original chapter 10 has now been uploaded – sorry! I'm in my last couple of weeks at school before I leave so bear with me! I'll upload as often as I can but, unfortunately, GCSE's take priority over the story – boo! **** Anyway, thanks again for the amazing reviews and here is the next chapter – enjoy…**

I kept repeating that to myself as we walked down the long, unnaturally quiet corridor. I guess hospital corridors are always quiet but I'm so used to living in a house full of noise that anywhere that is too quiet is weird. And it tells me something is wrong. _Stop that. _I tell myself sternly. _John and Abby are gonna be ok. _

We eventually stopped outside ICU 4. Dan stood in front of the door, blocking the window so we couldn't see inside.

"Before we go in, I need to remind you that Abby in particular looks a lot worse than she is. Don't be scared by the wires and monitors, they're helping her." Dan looked at us all individually assessing us. Making sure we're ready. I nod slightly at him and watch him sigh. He took one last look at us and pushed the door open. We crowded into the room and stopped. Slowly taking in the scene in front of us.

John was lying on a hospital bed in the corner. He'd obviously been squeezed in and I vaguely wondered how Dan had managed to convince the other doctors that having two patients in the ICU room was better and easier than separating them. I shrugged that thought off though – I knew better than most how persuasive Dan could be when he wanted to. My brother was breathing peacefully and I smiled slightly – it had been a long time since I'd seen him look so peaceful. I tore my eyes away from my sleeping brother, satisfied that for now, at least, he was ok.

My eyes fell onto my baby sister and my heart twisted and my stomach lurched. She was so pale. She almost blended into the white bed sheets. There were so many wires running up her arms, covering the bruises she sustained up on 5 and running underneath the hospital gown. The only sound in the room was the _whoosh _sound of the ventilator keeping my sister alive and the soft _beep, beep _of the heart monitor. My eyes rested on Abby's face. It wasn't peaceful like John's, it twisted slightly in pain. It seemed Abby wasn't as lucky as John in the no pain while sleeping department. What I couldn't get over was how young she looked. How vulnerable. Up on 5, she seemed so grown up. At least as old, physically at least, as Gordon. I smirked a little at that thought. Although, physically, Gordon was 20, he had the mental age of a 6 year old.

I willed my legs, which seemed to be glued to the floor, started to move slowly towards the bed. I could feel my legs shaking but I couldn't stop. I had to be there, next to her. Letting her know it's all going to be ok. I can hear the others behind me but I can't think about them now. Abby needs me – needs all of us looking after her. I sit down in the chair next to the bed gratefully. I don't know how much longer I could have gone. I watch Dad sit down on the other side and everyone else fill the gaps round the bed. A protective barrier from the rest of the world.

Gently, being careful not to disturb the wires taped into place, I pick up her hand and try to hold back the tears as she doesn't curl her fingers round mine like I was expecting. That simple gesture that didn't appear tells me more than a doctor's summary or readings from a machine. It tells me that my baby sister needs me. Needs all of her family around her now more than ever. I suddenly notice that, nestled to one side, is her teddy and that should make me smile. But instead I have to once again choke back the tears. She's so small. So young. We came to terms with that fact that what we do is dangerous. We came to that conclusion a long time ago. But Abby was never a part of that deal. Neither was Alan. They were supposed to be safe. They were never supposed to get hurt or get involved. Until he came along. The raging psychopath that tried to kill my family. Not once. But time and time again. _It's a good job he's in a high security prison. _I think to myself darkly. _Because if I ever get my hands on him – he's dead. _

I remembered the day she was born. She was so tiny. We'd spent hours waiting in the reception area and Alan was getting restless. I sighed. There was only so many things to keep him from bouncing off the walls. Luckily for me, the Gods were smiling down because at that moment, Dad walked out of the delivery room, looking like the happiest guy on earth.

"Come on you lot, there's someone I want you to meet." At this point we didn't actually know whether the baby was a boy or a girl. Mom and Dad wanted it to be a surprise but, secretly, I think they were hoping for a girl. We all were. With 5 boys, a girl would be a welcome change. Mom was propped up on a mountain of pillows, gently cradling a bundle of baby pink blankets and smiling down at baby inside. I smiled – I had a baby sister! I watched as Dad scooped Alan up and placed him on the bed next to mom.

"Baby." He said, his eyes huge with wonder.

"Yes honey. A baby." Mom said, smiling down at him. She looked up at all of us. "Boys, I want you to meet your new baby sister. This is Abigail." And with that, she lowered her arms, letting us see inside the blankets. She was asleep. Her eyelids a very pale lavender and he tiny hand clenched round moms little finger. I'd forgotten how small babies are.

"She's beautiful." Virgil whispered and I knew it was only a matter of time before the scene before us would be down on canvas. I nodded in agreement.

"Yes, she is. Just like her mother." Dad said smiling, as he kissed mom's head. I watched as Gordon rolled his eyes before coming over to stand by me.

"Hey there Abby." He said softly. "Welcome to our crazy family."

I smiled at the memory, blinking away the tears. I squeezed my little sister's hand gently.

"Come on Abby, your crazy family needs you. We really need you."


	12. What am I going to do with you?

I don't know how long we sat there. Me and dad next to Abby, Virgil and Gordon next to John. Alan was asleep on a chair in the corner of the room. I couldn't tear myself away from Abby's face. None of us spoke. The only sound was the machinery clustered around my sister. The sound was annoying yet soothing at the same time. On one hand, she was still alive but on the other hand, these machines were the reason she was alive. Suddenly, I heard a low moan coming from the other bed. My head snapped up to see John coming round. Dad looked over at me, torn between seeing his son and staying with his daughter.

"Go on Dad," I encourage. "John needs you. I'll stay with Abby." He nods and hurries over to John's bedside. I listen to their conversation as he slowly comes round. I wish I could be there too but I can't leave Abby.

"Dad?" John moans.

"Hey Johnny. How're you feeling?" Dad asks.

"Ugh, delicate." I watch Gordon laugh at this and smile slightly. It doesn't take much to make Gordon frown and, when he was upset, it didn't take long for him to bounce back. _At least one of us is acting normally._ I think to myself.

"Hey it's not funny," John grumbles half-heartedly. "Hang on, where's Scott and Ab…oh my God Abby! Where is she? Is she ok? What ha…"

"Whoa easy John. Scott and Abby are right over there. Your sister was badly hurt but Tom reckons she'll be ok." That seems to calm him down.

"Well, well, well – sleeping beauty has decided to grace us with his presence." Dan drawls from the doorway. I don't know what John did but it set Gordon off again.  
"There's no need for that John." Dan says pretending to tell him off. He checks John over before saying,

"Well blondie looks like you're gonna be ok. I'll keep you in tonight – see how you go but you should be released tomorrow."

"Thanks Dan." Dad says, relief in his voice.

"No problem. I'm just gonna be over here checking on trouble." Dad chuckles before turning his attention back to John.

"Did you hear that Abs? Dan's making fun of you. Do you want me to tell him off for you?" I ask, hoping to get a response from my sister but there was no response.

"What you gonna do Scooter?" Dan asks, checking the readout from one of the machines.

"Oh I'm sure I'll think of something." I reply. Before Dan can answer, we hear John arguing with Dad.

"Uh oh, someone else is causing trouble now Abby." Dan mutters, running his hand through her hair before turning round to face the rest of my family.

"Now ladies, what seems to be the problem?" The looks he received made me snort with laughter. That was a low blow.

"I want to see my sister." John says determinedly.

"Ah – I'm not sure John." Dan says.

"Please Tom. I have to see her." I watch Tom look at Dad who sighs in defeat and nods.

"Ok then, Gordon, come and help him up. Virgil, pull that chair over to Abby's bed." Dad says, wrapping an arm round one side of John, Gordon on the other. 5 minutes later, John was sat opposite me, staring at our sister.

"Jeff, boys. Maybe you can come and help me get some drinks?" Dan asks and I smile. Trust Dan to know that John wants some time with me and Abby. As they leave the room, I decide to start the conversation.

"You ok Johnny?" I ask quietly, rubbing my thumb on Abby's hand.

"Yeah. Better than Abby anyway." I sigh.

"John…"

"No, Scott. It's true. I'm a lot better than Abby is right now. Look at her Scott. How did we let this happen to her? Why didn't she tell us she was in pain?" The look of despair on my brother's face was heart breaking.

"I think she knew we couldn't do anymore to help her. Virge had already given her as much morphine as he could without making her sleepy."

"But when we were on 3. She could have had more then, couldn't she?"

"Yeah, but I think she saw the pain you were in and decided that you needed the medication more than she did."

"But that's crazy! Why would she…"

"Because she's your sister. And as much as we don't want her to, she looks after us just like we try and look after her."

"She was looking after me? Ok, when she wakes up we are having a serious chat. It should be us looking after her not the other way around."

I chuckle. "I know John. I know"

"Oh Abby. Why do you have to be like us? Too stubborn for your own good." He says, dropping his head in his hands.

"Because she wouldn't be a Tracy if she wasn't stubborn." I say smiling.

"There is that." John agrees, looking up at me and smiling. At that moment, Dad, Virgil and Gordon come back in, carrying cups of coffee.

"Say goodnight to your sister John." Dad says smiling at the confused look on John's face. "You need to rest son. Abby will still be here later." One look at Dad told John what he needed to know. He wasn't winning this one. He sighed and kissed Abby's hand before whispering

"Sleep tight little sister." Dad and Virgil help him back to bed and settle him down. For the first time I notice the time. It's almost 11pm. I look over at Gordon, trying to coax Alan awake. I'd forgotten Alan was here. I shake my head slightly. How could I forget him again? My reverie is broken by Dad.

"Right boys. I've booked you into the hotel across the road. I want you all to head over there now and get some rest. It's been a long day. Alan, who's now leaning sleepily against Gordon nods, too tired to argue. Gordon nods as well, obviously thinking about Alan. Virgil looks beat too and I bet I look the same. But I shake my head.

"Scott." Dad groans.

"I'm staying here Dad. I have to."

"Scott. I know why you want to stay. But you can't sleep here. Making yourself sick won't help John and Abby. Go and get some sleep and come back over in the morning. I promise, if anything happens I'll call you." I know I'm not going to win this one and I nod in defeat.

"Good boy." Dad says, ruffling my hair. We all say goodnight to Dad, John and Abby and head out of the hospital. Leaving a hospital has never felt so wrong.

* * *

When we get to our room, I send Gordon and Virgil into one room and steer Alan into the other. I throw him some pyjamas and let him get dressed while I see to the others and get changed myself. I say goodnight to Virgil and Gordon and head back to Alan, who's sat on the edge of the bed trying to fight off sleep.

"Hey sprout." I say softly. "You wanna share with me tonight?" The look of joy that crossed his face was unbelievable. It was so simple but something I hadn't offered in years. When he was little he would always come to me first when he had nightmares. It made me realise just how big the gap between me and Alan had become.  
"Come on then." I say, helping him into bed and settling him in. I turn out the light and settle in myself. I look over at my brother. He'd been so quiet today. The events were obviously starting to catch up on him. My heart twists when I realise he's crying.

"Hey, hey hey. What's wrong Al?" I ask, thinking the worst. That Alan was hurt too and he hadn't told us either.

"I'm scared Scotty." He sobs. Without thinking I reach over and pull him into a hug.

"Scared of what Allie?" I ask gently.

"Of him. What if he's not really gone Scott? What if he comes back? What if…"

"Hey, hey, hey." I soothe. "He's not getting out Sprout. He's gone and he's never coming back. I promise. You're safe now Al." I continue in this way until his sobs start to stop. Eventually, I feel him relax against me and I smile softly, brushing a stray strand of hair out of the way.

"Sleep tight Alan." I whisper, closing my eyes. I fall asleep with my brother still wrapped in my arms.

* * *

I wake early the next morning and slowly detangle myself from Alan who was gripping tightly onto my shirt. I stand up and pause for a moment, making sure Alan was still asleep. I go and check on Virgil and Gordon and I have to bite my tongue to stop myself from laughing. Gordon has managed to take up most of the double bed so Virgil has been pushed to the edge of the bed. Half of his body is hanging off the bed, his mouth slightly open and gentle snores fill the room. The duvet has been kicked off the bed and is sat in a pile on the floor. I back slowly out of the room so I don't wake them. I sit down on one of the armchairs and turn the TV on. I'd only been there for about 20 minutes when the phone rang. I looked at the caller ID and my heart stopped.

"Dad? What's wrong? What's happened?"

"Calm down Scott. Everything's ok now." I pounce on the word that shouldn't be included in the sentence.

"Now? Dad – what's happened?" I hear him sigh.

"Abby started seizing." I stopped breathing. "She had a bad reaction to some new antibiotics that the doctors put her on. She's fine now but I promised I'd tell you if anything happened."

"We're on our way over." I say, standing up.

"No Scott. Wait a while. I don't want to see any of you for at least another hour and I expect you all to have had breakfast during that time do you understand?"

"But Dad!"

"No Scott. I don't need any more of you getting sick." I sigh in defeat.

"Ok Dad. Just, keep me informed. Please?"

"I will Scooter. See you soon."

"Bye dad." I put the phone down and put my head in my hands.

"Oh Abby. What am I going to do with you?" I mutter.


	13. We can only hope

I sat like that for a long time, the news playing on the TV in the background but I wasn't paying attention to that. All I could think of was what Dad must be going through over at the hospital. I just had to hope that Dan would sedate him before he drank America out of coffee. I smiled slightly at that thought. It seemed extreme but I knew that, if it came to it, Dan would do it. Suddenly, I heard my sister's name. I pulled my head out of my hands and stared at the TV, a mask of horror on my face.

"And we have now received confirmation that two of billionaire ex-astronaut Jeff Tracy's children have been admitted to Brookland Memorial Hospital. Our correspondent Benjamin Douglas is outside the hospital now. Have you heard anything new Ben?" I watched in shock as a new picture filled the plasma screen. A picture of the busy hospital entrance across the road. I stood up and, still listening to the news report, shakily made my way to the glass balcony doors and, pulling back the curtains slightly, peeked out through the gap. Sure enough, about a dozen different news vans were parked outside.

"Crap." I groaned, letting the curtains fall back into place.

"Language Scooter." Gordon said. I spun round in surprise. Gordon was leaning casually against the wall watching me. I watch as his eyes narrow slightly.

"What's happened Scott?" I couldn't tell him. Not yet. Not before I'd had a chance to wrap my head round that fact that we almost lost our sister again and the press had found out where we were.

"Nothing." I lied, all too aware of just how fake that sounded.

"Uh huh, wanna try that again? What's happened?" I sighed again.

"Well, the press know we're here." I start warily.

"What?" Gordon says dangerously. It's not often Gordon scares me but I know that when Gordon's voice takes that edge, whoever messes with him is not going to like what's going to happen.

"Gordon…" I warn half-heartedly. I watch as he takes a deep breath to calm himself down.

"Well, I guess that'll be ok. I mean when the hospital find out they'll sort it out won't they? I mean Tom will…"

"Gordon there's something else." I interrupt.

"Like what?" He asks, his curiosity spiking.

"Well, apparently, Dan put Abby on some new antibiotics last night. And, well, she didn't really take to them." I tell him, knowing that it didn't make any sense.

"What do you mean she didn't really take to them?"

"Err, well.." I didn't know how to word it so I didn't give him a heart attack. Gordon rolls his eyes.

"Just spit it out Scott!"

"Ok, ok. Her body rejected the antibiotics and she started to seize."

"Seize?" Gordon whispers in disbelief. I nod.

"She's fine now though Gordy I promise. She just decided to keep Dad and Tom on their toes." I try to reassure him but it sounds hollow to my ears and I know Gordon will see right through it too.

"Why are we still here?" He asks, turning round to face his bedroom. I grab his arm before he can march off.

"We're still here because I promised Dad we wouldn't go over there for at least another hour." The look on Gordon's face was priceless. If the situation had been less serious I would have been on the floor is stiches. As it was however, I managed to keep my face straight although it was difficult. Before Gordon can argue with me I say,

"Look. Go wake Virge up and get dressed. I'll get Alan and then we'll go have breakfast. By the time we're finished, an hour should be almost up." Gordon sighs in defeat and nods before twisting out of the hold I have on his arm and walks back into his bedroom. Before I can go and wake Alan, I catch sight of someone very familiar on the TV. I walk over and turn the volume up slightly. Dan was standing by the revolving doors of the hospital, preparing to give a statement.

"We can confirm that both Abigail Tracy and John Tracy were admitted to Brookland Memorial Hospital yesterday afternoon after being involved in a car accident. Both John and Abigail will make a full recovery. We ask you that you respect the family's privacy at this difficult time and remain off the hospital site to allow staff to continue their work. Thank you."

Dan then turns and walks swiftly back into the hospital. I smile a little, silently thanking Dan for his quick thinking. At least now we should be able to walk into the hospital without being ambushed by the press. Should being the operative word in that sentence. I sigh and turn the TV off and go and wake Alan up. I pause at the side of the bed and watch as my little brother sleeps on, completely oblivious to the drama outside. I don't want to wake him. He looks so peaceful – so young. All the stress and the tension that had built up over the course of yesterday had melted away overnight and I knew that as soon as he woke that same stress and tension would come running back. I hated that. I hated that Alan had to grow up so quickly yesterday. He wasn't a child any more. Far from it. I bend down and gently shake his arm.

"Alan? Come on Allie, time to wake up." I smile as he moans and tries to turn away.

"Come on Al. Wakey wakey."

"Go way." He mumbles into his pillow.

"Fine then. I guess I'll just go get Gordon to come and wake you up since you clearly don't want me here." I say, knowing that the threat of Gordon would be enough to get Alan to do as I asked. I laugh as he bolts upright, looking round to check Gordon isn't in the room. Once he's certain Gordon's no where to be seen, he turns and glares at me.

"Sorry Sprout." I say, standing up and ruffling his hair. "Will you forgive me if I let you have muffins for breakfast?" I watch him sigh and climb out of bed.

"Suppose." He grumbles. I grin and ruffle his hair again.

"Get dressed Sprout. I'll meet you out in the lounge in 5 OK?" I watch him nod sleepily before heading off to the bathroom. I quickly change into jeans and a polo shirt and head back to the lounge where Gordon's waiting for me.

"Oscar's just getting changed now." He reports and I smile. It's a well known fact in the Tracy household that waking Virgil up early was like writing your death wish. Gordon had started the nickname of 'Oscar the Grouch' a few years ago and it was such an apt description that it stuck, much to Virgil's chagrin.

"Same with Alan." I reply, sitting next to him on the arm of the sofa. I run my eyes over him, assessing what state he's in. "You ok?" I ask, giving up on my mental assessment. The thing about Gordon is that he can be very good at hiding his feelings. He shrugs.

"I guess. I'll feel better when we're there with her again though." I nod in agreement.

"I reckon John's gonna be discharged today though." I say, trying to brighten the mood.

"Yeah, how he managed to get out of there without really injuring himself amazes me." Gordon says. It's true. How John walked out of there with so few injuries was amazing. At that point Virgil walks out and sits down next to us.

"And how is Oscar this morning?" Gordon teases. Virgil glares at him before saying,

"Tired. Where's Al?"

"Here." A voice says from behind. We all turn to look as Alan walks out of the bedroom, still half-asleep.

"Right then." I say, taking charge. "Let's go get some breakfast. The sooner we eat, the sooner we can get over there." With that I guide my brothers out of the hotel room and down to the dining room. So far, my forced cheerfulness was working on Virgil and Alan but I didn't know how much longer I could keep it up. I steal a look a Gordon and I realise he's watching me. In that moment, I realise that it won't be long before one of us spills on what's happened this morning. I just hoped that the dining room would be busy so my brothers couldn't go completely crazy when they realise we've kept this from them. All I could do now, was hope they'd understand that me and Gordon hadn't been able to wrap our heads round the fact that our little sister was sicker than we had first realised and that Tom's speech had done the trick and that the press would respect our privacy. We can only hope I think grimly.

**Hi all x I just wanted to thank you all again for the amazing reviews you've given me - they make my day :) I apologise that this is so late and, honestly, it's not very good, but I've been revising for Spanish and English exams so they've taken over. I've started my study leave now though so, hopefully, my updates will be more frequent than they have been recently. Thanks again guys - see you all soon! mysweetcupcake xxx**


	14. Unexpected Visitor

Breakfast was…tense. That's the only way I can describe it. We didn't talk, apart from the initial outburst when me and Gordon told Virge and Al about Abby. We just sat at the table and munched quietly on pancakes that no one really felt like eating. Once we'd finished we cautiously made our way over to the hospital. Our cautions weren't needed though as the press seemed to have done what Dan had asked. The drive was clear of news vans. I bundled my brothers through the door just in case. I'd text Dan just before we'd left and he was leaning casually against the reception desk waiting for us.

"How's Abby?" Virgil blurts. Dan laughs.

"Nice to see you too. Your sister is fine. She was just making sure I wasn't sleeping on the job." Dan says, patting him on the shoulder. "I'm glad you're here actually, I need your help." I look at him curiously.

"Need **our** help? Why?" Dan smirks at me.

"Because, your dad is refusing to go back to the hotel and get some rest and if anyone can convince him that leaving is a good idea it's you boys."

"And if we can't?" Alan asks.

"I you can't, then I **will** sedate him." Dan says forcefully. I laugh, knowing the threat wasn't a joke.

"Well then, we'd better get in there." I say as we follow Dan towards the lift.

I had to laugh when we got to Abby's room. John was sat opposite Dad, watching as he snores gently.

"Hey space case." Dan calls quietly smiling when John turns to glare at him.

"You took your time. I swear if he hadn't fallen asleep I would have knocked him out."

"Dad being a pain Johnny." Gordon asks, perching gently on the edge of the bed.

"Put it this way, I know where we get the stubborn gene from." I walk over to stand behind them and put a hand on Johns shoulder.

"Well we didn't get it from mom put it that way." I pause. "How're you doing?" John sighs like he's been asked this question a lot in the past few hours.

"I'm fine Scott. Honest. I'd be better if he went and snored somewhere else though. He's giving me a headache." We all laugh as Dan beckons us over. I look at my remaining brothers.

"Come on then you lot. Ready to face the wrath of dad?" I'm surrounded by quiet laughter as we surround Dad's sleeping form, ready for his ambush.

"Jeff? Come on Jeff, rise and shine." Dan calls. Dad bolts upright and whips his head round to check on Abby. Dan sighs.

"Relax Jeff, she's fine."

"Then why did you wake me up?" Dad asks, glaring at his friend and trying not to yawn.

"Because it's about time you went over to the hotel and got some rest in a proper bed." Dan says firmly. Dad shakes his head.

"Dan I'm fine." I decide to intervene.

"It's up to you Dad. You can either go to the hotel of your own free will or Dan will sedate you. And I don't think he's joking this time."

"No, he's not." Dan confirms, without looking up from the data pad he's holding. Dad huffs and I can instantly see where Alan gets his trademark pout from.

"You're ganging up on me." He whines. Dan walks over and taps him gently on the head with the data pad.

"Yup, now get your ass over to the hotel and get some rest or I will not be held responsible for my actions." Dad sighs, knowing he's been defeated. He stands up and stretches his back before ruffling John's hair and kissing Abby's forehead. He turns to look at us.

"My phone will be right next to me…"

"You're only going to be a few hours and we're to call if anything happens or if we need anything." We rattle off together making Dad and Dan smile.

"You really need to update that speech." Gordon says as Dan pushes Dad out of the door. I settle down in the vacated seat and take Abby's hand again. John settles down opposite and everyone else crowds round. As we all settle down to wait I can only hope that the press, who have made themselves scarce so far, continue to do so.

* * *

A few hours later, and I was ready to strangle Gordon. The kid cannot sit still for more than a minute. Eventually, I sent him and Alan to go and get some drinks and something to eat. Anything to get him out of the room for a little while. They'd been gone for over half an hour and I was starting to get worried, when they walked through the door, carrying coffee cups and bags of m&m's.

"Where have you two been?" I ask, before seeing the panic in Gordon's eyes. "Gordo, what's happened?" I ask, my eyes narrowing.

"Weell…" Gordon says, clearly trying to think of the best way to say his news.

"The press is here." Alan blurts out; ignoring the glare Gordon shoots him.

"What!" John shouts.

"Easy Johnny," Virgil says. I'd forgotten that John didn't know about the press. Oops.

"How do you know?" I ask. "They're not on the front drive…"

"No, they're here in the hospital!" Alan interrupts. "A janitor stopped us on the way up and started asking us questions about Abs and Johnny."

"Yeah, we had our suspicions but he could have just been wondering about them. but then I spotted a Dictaphone poking out of his pocket. I grabbed Alan and we ran the long way round so he couldn't follow us." Gordon continues.

"What are we going to do Scooter? We can't let them in here." Virgil says.

"I'll take Alan and Gordon back down to reception and report the guy. We might even see him on the way down so I can get a good look at him as well. Virgil, I want you to stay here and keep an eye on Abby and John till we get back."

"Oi! Shouldn't it be me looking after Virgil and Abby?" John asks, glaring at me. I laugh and ruffle his hair.

"Sorry space case. Until you're better, we're gonna be looking after you." John sighs and does an amazing impression of Alan's pout.

"I'm being released today – doesn't that mean anything?"

"Nope. Now shut up and do what Virge the Surge says, ok?" And with that, I grab Alan and Gordon and steer them out of the door.

* * *

We get down to the reception desk without spotting our mystery janitor.

"He seems to have disappeared." Gordon said as we walked back to Abby's room. I nod slowly.

"That's what worries me." I murmur. I was right to be worried. When we got back to the room, there was a small white envelope addressed to the Tracy's propped up by the door frame. I looked at my brothers. I bent down, picked up the envelope and pushed them into the room and slammed the door shut behind me. I turned around and closed the blinds on the window. I looked up to see all of my brothers and Dan staring at me.

"Scooter? What's happened?" Dan asked in surprise. I can imagine the look on my face. I take a deep breath before holding up the envelope and saying,

"I think we have an unexpected visitor."

"What do you mean Scott?" John asks from where he's sat by Abby's bed.

"Our mystery janitor has left us a message." I explain, before prising open the envelope. The room is silent. The only sound is the ventilator keeping Abby alive and, at that moment I just want to rip it out of her because it's a constant reminder of what that monster has done to my baby sister. I take a deep breath and try to calm the anger I can feel bubbling underneath me. That anger rises as I read the letter aloud.

_I just wish to express my wishes that your sister, Abigail, gets better soon. It must be extremely difficult to see her like that. I'd love to hear your views on the accident and on your siblings recovery. I'll be at the café across the road tomorrow at 11 if you want a chat. _

"Cheeky ba…"

"Gordon!" We all chorus.

"Sorry." He mutters. I don't blame him though. I'm thinking exactly the same thing. He was right there. Outside the window. It dawns on me then that he's probably got photos or at least got a detailed description on his recorder. I close my eyes as I imagine the headlines tomorrow. I open my eyes as Dan starts talking.

"I'll increase security at the doors. We'll get him. If he's already left then we'll get him tomorrow. He'll want an interview with you for the 'full story.' We can have him done for harassment by then. Don't worry boys. There won't be a story tomorrow. I promise." I nod gratefully. I know that Dan will follow through on his promise – even if it kills him.

"You boys just need to concentrate on getting your sister better. You just leave everything else to me. Ok?" We all nod and thank him. I go and perch next to Virgil on the edge of the bed.

"Look at all the trouble you're causing Abs." My voice breaks after this as I rest my hand on my sister's leg. "Come on Abby. Come back to us. Please."

* * *

**Heyy guys - I wasn't expecting to get this up tonight because it's my birthday! yay! Happy Sweet 16 to me! So this chapter is a little birthday pressie from me to you - I hope you enjoy it. Please review! love mysweetcupcake xx**


	15. Something's Wrong

**Thank you guys for all the lovely birthday wishes – I had a great day **** Some of you might have noticed that our friendly doctor's name has changed – thank you to ****Darkflame's Pyre for pointing out to me that Thomas Palmer is not a canon character but a character that was thought up by someone else. I'm really sorry, I didn't realise but I have now changed it as best I can – if you notice at any point from around Chapter 10 to 14 that the name changes between Dan and Tom then please let me know and I'll change it. Apologies again about the mistake and thank you for pointing it out to me. I hope you all enjoy the next chapter…**

The event with the reporter really shook us. None of us spoke, each wrapped up in our own thoughts. All I could think was _how dare he. How dare he write to us. How did he even know we were here? The room hasn't been leaked to the press. _This continued for a good hour and a half before Dad walked in with a face like thunder.

"You've heard then." John said softly.

"Yes, I've heard. How did he know what room we were in?" He asked obviously trying to keep his anger inside.

"We don't know Dad." Virgil said. "We've all been trying to think how he found out but none of us can think of anything." Dad sighed and sat down.

"Right, we knew this was going to happen at some point. It's amazing how many different ways journalists have of finding out information that is supposed to be kept from them. What's important is none of us go over to this café for the 'interview'. We're not going to lower ourselves to his standards." We all shook our heads in agreement. None of us would have gone – at least I didn't think so at the time. Dad looked over at Abby as if realising she's still here and I watched as disappointment crosses his face. He looked over at me.

"No change?" He asked quietly, as if she were only sleeping and about to wake at any moment and not in a coma.

"No change." I repeat, despair echoing in my voice. John reached over and placed his hand over mine.

"She's gonna be ok Scooter." He said, trying to encourage me into believing the impossible.

"What if she's not?" I whisper. I heard footsteps behind me and it wasn't until hands wrapped round my neck in a backwards hug that I realised it was our resident ghost Alan. I smiled at the gesture my youngest brother was giving me, trying to make me realise that I wasn't alone in this. That we were all in this together. I reached up and held his hands with my free one.

"Thanks Allie." I frowned slightly. "Though it should be me taking care of you." Alan walked round so he was looking at my face.

"You've always taken care of me Scott. Not just me, all of us. It's our turn to take care of you now." Gordon walked up behind his partner in crime and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"The sprout speaks the truth Scott." He said. "We all know how hard you've taken this. We only have to think about how you react when we come down with a cold to know how upset you are now. It's no secret how close you and Abby are because of how young she was when Mom died." I saw Dad wince slightly at that. To this day it's still painful for him to think about how he 'coped' after Mom's death. "You're taking this badly Scooter and it's our job as your brothers to look after you. But you have to let us." I was touched at this. It's rare that Gordon spouts mushy stuff but when he does he really means it. Every word. I nod mutely and opened my arms, gesturing what I wanted. John and Virgil stood up and Alan and Gordon walked forward into my arms and I held them all close. My brothers. My family. The only people who know me better than anyone. Who, although I think it's my job as the eldest to protect them, equally think it's their job as my brothers, to protect me. I couldn't ask for a better family. I couldn't.

As we pulled apart, I saw a bright flash go off outside the door. I looked at the clock and saw that it was almost 12.30 – an hour and a half after we were supposed to meet the reporter for an interview. I knew without a doubt that it was the same guy – he'd got bored waiting for us so decided to take matters into his own hands. Gordon and Alan started for the door when Dad said,

"Don't do it boys." We all stopped and looked at him. What was he talking about? "Boys he's probably half way to his office right now – we can't stop him. When the story comes out tonight – tomorrow at the latest – then, I'll be on the phone suing him and the paper for everything I can. But until then, we let him go." I smiled at that. I knew that Dad would do as he said and sue the reporter for everything he could: or at least until his reputation was lying around him in tatters. Gordon and Alan sat back down subdued. We were all silent for a few moments. When, suddenly, Dan ran in, panting. We all looked up in surprise.

"Jeff, what happened? I heard this journalist got a photo? I'm so sorry, the hospital is at maximum security, no one gets in or out without an ID Card. Did he get away? What…"

"Dan slow down. It's fine. No damage done. Not really." Dan looked at Dad like he'd lost his mind.

"No damage done? Jeff he got in to this hospital – even with all the extra security. He got a photo of you guys and Abby when the room number hasn't been leaked." Dad interrupted before Dan could continue.

"Calm down Dan before you have a heart attack. What I mean is, yes he got at least one photo and yes it's probably going to be on the front page of every newspaper by tomorrow morning but, we have a secret weapon." Dan raised an eyebrow.

"Secret weapon?"

"Yeah, Dad's gonna sue this guy's butt!" Alan said which made us all laugh. Dan walked over.

"I really am sorry Jeff." Dad rolled his eyes.

"Dan relax. It's fine. You did all you could. None of this is your fault." Dan sighed in defeat.

"I know but I feel bad. I know I couldn't have done anything else. But…"

"But nothing. Relax – it's fine."

A quick, beeping noise made me tear myself away from the argument. I looked up at the monitors over Abby and felt my mouth drop open.

"Dan…" I said. Everyone followed my gaze and it took a second for Dan to jump into action. He hit the call button and an army of doctors and nurses immediately descended into the room.

"You need to go and wait outside." Dan said to us gently.

"What? Why?" Gordon asked.

"Something's wrong with Abby. You need to clear the room to allow us to find out what's gone wrong. Don't worry, everything will be fine. I promise." Dan explained as he led us out of the room and into a waiting room across the corridor.  
"I'll be back soon, ok." He said as he turned to leave again. We all looked at each other, shock on all of our faces. What had just happened? What had gone wrong this time? We sat down, and prepared to wait.

**Sorry, you guys are gonna have to wait a bit longer for Miss Abigail Tracy to wake up – oh I do enjoy teasing you xx**

2

2 


	16. Cupcakes and Plots

**Hey guys, I'm sorry about the late posting but the Tracy's just weren't cooperating with me this week – they are soooo stubborn it's unreal! Anyway, thank you again for the lovely reviews and also a HUGE thanks to ****Pamikarita for her help with this next chapter – your idea was amazing so thank you, thank you, thank you! Anyway, now I've managed to get the boys cooperating once again (although they weren't happy about it) on with the story **

An hour later and we still didn't know how Abby was. We were all sat in silence, with the exception of Gordon who had been pacing for 45 minutes.

"Gordon! Will you please sit down you're making me dizzy!" John finally said in exasperation.

"Sorry." Gordon mumbled as he sat down. I didn't know what was taking Dan so long. What had happened to Abby? As if he'd read my mind, the door opened and Dan walked in. He smirked at the scene that greeted him. Alan was leaning against Gordon, who was leaning against Virgil, who was leaning against John who was struggling to stay upright as he battled with the weight of his three younger siblings.

"Stop trying to suffocate your brother," he drawled from the doorway, his smirk widening into a full on grin as my brothers tried to detangle themselves. Dad rolled his eyes.

"What happened Dan?" He asked.

"Her heart stopped." Dan said bluntly. I swear **my **heart stopped when I heard that. We'd lost her. Again! Dan obviously saw the looks on our faces because he quickly added,

"She's fine now though. Honest. She's always been a little madam when she's ill." He chuckled. I couldn't share his optimism.

"Why?" I croaked, my mouth dry. Dan looked over at me and sighed, obviously hoping no one would ask him that.

"Honestly? We're not 100% sure. We were thinking it was the antibiotics again but we've checked that and they're all fine. It's a mystery – and I don't like that." I frowned. So the antibiotics were working and she was responding to them but they were pretty much the only thing that could go wrong – so what had happened. John was obviously following my train of thought but like the genius he is, he was further ahead than me.

"Could it be a reaction to the conversation we were having?" He asked. We all stared at him.

"What?" He said defensively. "It was just a thought."

"No son, that could be it." Dad said quickly, trying to reassure John that we were only staring at him because he was right, not because it was a stupid idea.

I ran through the conversation Dad and Dan were having before the monitors went wild.

_"Jeff, what happened? I heard this journalist got a photo? I'm so sorry, the hospital is at maximum security, no one gets in or out without an ID Card. Did he get away? What…"_

_"Dan slow down. It's fine. No damage done. Not really." Dan looked at Dad like he'd lost his mind._

_"No damage done? Jeff he got in to this hospital – even with all the extra security. He got a photo of you guys and Abby when the room number hasn't been leaked." Dad interrupted before Dan could continue._

_"Calm down Dan before you have a heart attack. What I mean is, yes he got at least one photo and yes it's probably going to be on the front page of every newspaper by tomorrow morning but, we have a secret weapon." Dan raised an eyebrow._

_"Secret weapon?"_

_"Yeah, Dad's gonna sue this guy's butt!" Alan said which made us all laugh. Dan walked over._

_"I really am sorry Jeff." Dad rolled his eyes._

_"Dan relax. It's fine. You did all you could. None of this is your fault." Dan sighed in defeat._

_"I know but I feel bad. I know I couldn't have done anything else. But…"_

_"But nothing. Relax – it's fine."_

Abby obviously wasn't as reassured by Dad as Dan was. Then a thought hit me.

"She can hear us!" I said, excitement filling my voice. Now it was my turn to be scrutinised. After a moment though, Alan spoke up.

"But if she can hear us, why isn't she waking up?" I watched Virgil loop his arm around Alan's shoulders.

"It's a common thing for patients who are in a coma to be able to hear what's going on around them. Abby's just not ready to grace us with her presence yet."

"Yeah well I wish she'd find another way to let us know she can hear us." Gordon mumbled. Dan laughed and ruffled his hair.

"You and me both kiddo. You and me both."

"When can we see her again?" Virgil asked.

"Whenever you like. She's stable now but, now we know she can hear us, maybe it's best to talk about, good memories, instead of sleazy journalists hmmm?" Dan said. We all nodded in agreement. Anything to help her. We stood and started to file out when Dan grabbed Dad's arm.

"Not you." He said. We all looked at him in surprise.

"Dan what are you talking about?" Dad asked in exasperation.

"Jeff, when was the last time you ate?" I smirked at Dad's sheepish expression.

"Let me guess, the yesterday breakfast?" Dan continued. Gordon snorted as the sheepish expression deepened even more, confirming Dan's suspicions.

"Jeff! Are you trying to make yourself ill?"

"The boys haven't eaten either." Dad protested.

"Actually Dad, we have. We had breakfast at the hotel this morning and then we had some m&m's earlier." Virgil said. Dad glared at him.

"M&M's – very filling." He mumbled, knowing he'd lost the fight.

"At least they've eaten something the past 48 hours which is more than you've done." Dan said, as he tugged Dad away from Abby's room. "Come on. We're gonna go get some lunch and then come back. Ok?" We all laughed at Dad's expression. He glared at us again. I shrugged my shoulders and ushered my brothers back into the ICU room where we settled down once more.

"Do you think Dad will get us some sandwiches while he's out?" Gordon asked. I looked over and laughed at the forlorn expression on his face. "Don't laugh Scotty, I forgot to ask him and I'm hungry." I ruffled his hair.

"You're always hungry fish."

"What and you're not?" Gordon shot back straight away.

"I never said I wasn't. Look, if you're hungry, why don't you go down the canteen and see what they've got? Get us all something." I handed my $20 and sent him off. Anything to keep him busy.

"Come on Allie. Give me a hand." He called over his shoulder and, after and a look over his shoulder to make sure it was ok, he ran off down the hallway to catch up with Gordon.

"Alan and Gordon are active today." Virgil said, smiling at me.

"Hey, I've got to be able to use you lot for something…"

"Fetching you food and coffee like slaves you mean." John interrupts.

"Exactly. Why have 4 younger brothers if you can't use them to get what you want." I continued, and grinned at the glare John sent my way. I settled back in my chair and watched my sister. I reached over and brushed a stray strand of hair out of her face. I picked up her hand and held it gently. No one spoke.

Ten minutes later, Gordon and Alan returned, carrying two trays of sandwiches, bottle of Coke and cakes. I picked my share up and opened the wrapper that sealed my cupcake. I peeled off a bit of the wrapper and bit into it, savouring the sweetness.

"These cupcakes aren't as nice as yours Abs." I mumbled, my mouth full of cake. John looked up and smiled at me.

"Do you remember the first time she made cupcakes?" He asked softly. I nodded, a small smile on my face.

"Yeah. You were only 3 or 4 years old Abs. There was a huge storm outside and you weren't interested in watching Finding Nemo with us. Not that I can blame you actually."

"Oi!" Gordon said from the sofa by the wall. "Don't insult Nemo – it's the best film ever!" Me and John shared a knowing look.

"Yeah, whatever you say Gordo." John said grinning at him. Gordon glared back but didn't comment further.

"Anyway." I continued. "Onaha came out to see whether any of us wanted to help her make dinner. You volunteered and went into the kitchen. An hour later, you came out again, carrying a tray full of cupcakes which you proudly presented to me." The smile on my face widened as I remembered the scene. The cupcakes were what you'd expect from a 3 year old – a bit messy. The icing had run down the sides, not that you could see the icing because it was covered in sweets. But Abby was so proud of them. I took the tray off her and placed it on Johns lap and then reached down and picked her up and placed her on my lap.

"What have you been upto hmmm?" I ask, staring pointedly at her flour stained t-shirt.

"Been makin' cakes Cotty!" She exclaimed excitedly. I grinned and pointed at the tray.

"Are you telling me you made all of these yourself?" I asked, pretending to be shocked. She nodded. "Well they're amazing Abs. Aren't they John." John, who'd been listening to the conversation smiled and nodded.

"Yeah they are." He said. "Do you know who would like to try one – apart from us?" Abby shook her head.

"Well, I think Dad might like to try one." Her face lit up.

"Really?" John nodded.

"Why don't you choose one and we'll take it to him." She spent 5 minutes choosing which one she thought Dad would like best bless her. Once she'd decided, I put her down and took her down to Dad's office. I knocked on the door and waited for him to acknowledge our presence.

"Come in." I poked my head round the door.

"Hey Scott." Dad said, looking up from the computer screen. "What's up?"

"Nothing's up Dad. Abby's made something and she wanted to show you." Dad grinned and said,

"Is she there?" I nodded and stepped out of the way. Abby ran into the room.

"Daddy!" She cried excitedly. Dad laughed and picked her up. She handed him her present.

"What's this Abs?"

"I made you a cake Daddy!"

"You made this all by yourself?"

"Onha helped me." Dad hugged her, consequently getting flour all over him.

"Well it's lovely honey. I'll have it with my coffee – is that ok?" Abby nodded.

"Come on then Abs, let's go get you cleaned up." I say, knowing Dad was expecting an important call.

"Kay." She said, reaching up and kissing Dad's cheek before sliding off his lap and running back over to me.

"Bye Daddy." She called as we walked out of the office.

"Bye Abby." Dad called back.

I blinked as I came back to the present. I looked back over at Abby and squeezed her hand gently.

"You were bitten by the bug. Since then, we've had fresh cupcakes every few days. We're running low here Abs, we need you to bake us some more." I watched her face, hoping for any sign that she'd heard me but there was nothing. I sighed in defeat and looked over at my brothers. Virgil was stood behind John opposite me and Gordon and Alan were sat on the sofa writing something onto what looked like a bit of scrap paper and were talking quietly amongst themselves. I frowned – they were plotting something. I just didn't know what they were plotting. But I was sure we'd find out soon enough.

**There you go – so Abby can hear what's going on and she also bakes cupcakes – I, personally, think that's an excellent choice of food to bake. I wonder why lol. This is quite a slow chapter but it will get better – what are Gordon and Alan planning and for who? Enjoy guys xxx**


	17. Newspapers & More Visitors

I was concerned. Alan and Gordon were definitely up to something. I just wasn't 100% sure what they were up to. I shook my head. I had bigger problems. That reporter for one thing. I was still fuming over the fact he'd managed to invade our privacy with ease. I knew that he would be satisfied with the photos he had, for now anyway. As soon as those photos were published, he would be back. I was sure of it. The question was, how was he going to do it? The first time he managed to get in by posing as a janitor. A low-risk person that no one will question. But security has tripled now – not just outside the main entrance, but on every floor. Getting back inside the hospital would be tougher than ever. But I had no doubts that the creep would find a way.

Another problem that was top of my list was my sister. I looked over at her and sighed in defeat. She looked like she was in more pain than ever if that were possible. I wished I could take away the pain she was obviously in. I kept reminding myself that she could hear us, that she knew we were there with her, but that only brought a small amount of comfort. In some ways, I wished she couldn't hear us. At least that way she'd be spared from having to listen to us talking about the reporter and her injuries and her treatment. We were going to have to start talking about those things outside so we didn't scare her. I looked up as the door opened and Dad and Dan walked in.

"Any change?" Dad asked though I know he already knew the answer. I shook my head.

"No. No change." I watched as he looked round the room, checking we were all there probably. I know I was doing the exact same thing. I followed Dad's gaze around the room, stopping to stare, once again at my two youngest brothers. Virgil walked round from the other side of the bed and sat next to me.

"Who's the target?" He asked. I shrugged.

"I dunno. Although I have a feeling it's not us." Virgil looked up in surprise.

"How did you come to that conclusion?" I smiled slightly.

"One. I'm the oldest. Having psychic powers kind of comes with the titles." He grinned at that. "Two," I continued. "Both Gordon and Alan went mental when that reporter got a photo of us. Gordon especially. I'm betting that whatever they're plotting is for him."

"Are you betting on that or hoping for that." Virgil asked still grinning. I chuckled softly.

"Both." At that moment, Gordon turned around and grinned mischievously at us.

"Don't worry. You're not the targets." I nodded triumphantly in Virgil's direction. I love being right.

"Well if we're not the targets, who is?" John asked without turning around.

"No one you know. Just be happy with the knowledge that it's not you." I knew I wouldn't get anything out of them so I turned back to face my sister, still trying to guess who my brothers were targeting with their pranks.

* * *

We sat like that for hours. Me, Virgil, John and Dad by Abby's bed, Alan and Gordon over on the couch. Dan kept coming in to check on Abby and to bring us food. It was about 6pm when he came in clutching something in his hand. We all turned to look, knowing what it would be but hoping it wasn't.

"We were right." Dan said simply, handing Dad the evening paper. We all crowded round to get a closer look. On the front page was a large picture of me and my brothers hugging by Abby's bedside.

"At least he didn't get a photo of Abby." John said, trying to see the bright side of a pretty bleak situation. We all nodded but it didn't make us feel any better. I started to read the article over Dad's shoulder.

_**Tracy Tragedy**_

_When the news broke yesterday of the tragic accident involving the youngest daughter and second eldest son of billionaire ex-astronaut Jeff Tracy the world was stunned. In a statement issued by the hospital, we were told that John Tracy and Abigail Tracy had been admitted to Brookland Memorial hospital after being involved in a car accident. We have not been able to find any details of the car accident however we have been told the police are looking into the matter. _**Full story on pages 4 and 5.**

I stopped reading after that. I didn't want to know what lies and rumours are inside the two page article.

"How can they have a two page article on a three sentence statement?" Alan asked. Gordon slung an arm round his shoulders.

"It's not just gonna be on that statement Sprout. It's gonna be all the speculation surrounding the accident and, of course, in depth analysis of that touching photo of the Tracy brothers." Gordon explained, sharing a look with his younger brother. I knew what that look meant but I decided to ignore it. It was much easier that way.

There was another knock at the door and Dan opened it to reveal a police officer.

"Good evening. I'm here to look into reports of a journalist harassing the Tracy family."

* * *

**So this chapter isn't very long but the Tracy's are still putting up a fight - that & the fact that I'm getting ready for my prom which is on Friday - I'm so excited! Anyway, who is our mystery policeman and what are Gordon & Alan planning to do to their unsuspecting target? Hopefully the next chapter will be longer (and better) - see you guys soon xx**


	18. Nice shot

I was confused. Wasn't it a little late for a policeman to investigate what had happened how many hours ago? Looking around the room, I could see I was the only one who thought that. Everyone else seemed to believe this guy. With the exception of Dan. My eyes rested on the doctor and I could tell he was also sceptical about the mystery policeman.

"Isn't a little late to investigate. The reporter left this morning and the story has already hit the press." I said, voicing my concerns and waving the newspaper in the direction of the policeman. He looked vaguely familiar but I couldn't place him. He had short black hair which stood up in spikes. It looked like he'd just rolled out of bed. He'd either used a whole tub of hair gel in his hair or it was incredibly greasy. I was guessing it was the latter. He had quite a chubby face. In fact, he chubby everywhere. He looked like a stereotypical policeman in that sense. Rosy cheeks, his uniform bulging over his stomach. It seemed too…typical. Like someone had gone online and looked at pictures of a cartoon policeman and then copied it. The only place the 'jolly policeman' image didn't reach was his eyes. I couldn't see the colour but they were very narrow. Like slits cut into his face. They were emotionless. It was creepy.

"We would have been here sooner but we had an influx of calls which kept us busy." The policeman replied in a monotone voice. I suppose he was trying to sound apologetic but it didn't work. An influx of calls preventing them from investigating this case sooner. How convenient. I thought to myself as Dad stood up from his chair, allowing the policeman to sit down. Something was wrong. Something was really wrong. I could feel it in my gut. Something about this guy wasn't right. I just had to figure out what it was. Until then, I had to go along with everyone else.

"Right. According to Doctor Daniel White the first time the journalist breached security was yesterday afternoon where he left a note asking to meet at a café?" We nodded. It wasn't really a question, just fact. "The same journalist then came back onto the premises this afternoon when no one turned up to the meeting. Is that correct?" We nodded again. I was watching the policeman carefully. He was writing in a notebook that he'd taken out of his pocket but every so often his eyes would flicker over to Abby. He was studying her. Maybe it was just curiosity. I mean, it's not every day a policeman gets called to help the Tracy's with something. That was what I was trying to convince myself of anyway. It was something more than that. He was taking in every wire and machine that was attached to her. I frowned.

"Do you need to know about my sister's condition?" I asked after a couple of minutes. He looked shocked.

"Err, no. thank you. I've got everything I need about your sisters condition from her doctors." I noticed Dad staring at me, silently asking me what I was doing.

"Do you mind me asking why you keep watching her then?" I continued. I saw Dad's eyes widen slightly but I ignored him.

"I'm not." The policeman replied. I could hear the nerves behind the lie. He knew he'd been caught.

"Yes, you are. What's so interesting? If you have all the details from Dr White then you shouldn't feel the need to study her. Should you?" The man shifted uncomfortably. I almost had him.

"I'm not studying your sister. I'm just here to investigate…"

"The incident with the reporter yes I know." I interrupted. "What I don't understand is, if you're writing everything down in your notebook, why you also need a Dictaphone." I watched as his eyes opened wide in shock. He wasn't expecting that. I'd noticed a bulge in the pocket of his trousers when he first sat down but I hadn't paid any attention to it until he'd shifted in his chair, revealing the top of the Dictaphone. I knew my family were coming to the same conclusion that I had already come to. I just couldn't believe he would stoop so low.

"I don't believe you are who you say you are." I continued before he could interrupt. "In fact, I know you're a fake. Aren't you Richard Driskell?" I finished triumphantly. Richard Driskell. The sleazebag journalist who had been harassing us since the news that Abby and John had been admitted to hospital had been released. Richard swore at my family's stunned and angry faces.

"I knew you would go to long lengths to get any new bits of information on us Richard but I hadn't guessed how long those lengths were. Impersonating a police officer? That's low even for you." I spat. By this time, Dan had sounded the alarm and three bulky security guards came into the room. Dan pointed to where Richard was still sat, fuming that I'd figured out what he'd thought to be a 'clever' disguise.

"Detain him until the real police arrive." Dan said. The security guards began wrestling the journalist from the chair. Richard had obviously realised what was happening and snapped out of his anger filled daydreams and tried to fight off the guards. Tried being the operative word. In short, it was the most pathetic attempt at a getaway I'd ever seen in my life. I bet Abby could hit harder than he could. As he was pulled from the chair he started to yell at us. I could only hear certain words though as he was yelling into a security guards muscular arm.

"Sister….never…wake…good…dead…" He didn't get further than that before Alan jumped up and stood in front of the guards. They stopped for a moment and Richard seemed to realise what he'd done. Unfortunately he'd realised a moment too late. Alan pulled his arm back and punched Richard squarely on the nose. He yelped in surprise and anger.

"Care to insult my sister again you low life?" Alan snarled at Richard.

"You brat! You've broken my nose!" Richard yelled. I stole a glance at Abby, thankful that she hadn't heard this yet. Or at least, hadn't reacted to it.

"Really? Cos I don't think it is. Let me help." And with that, Alan started to pull his arm back again only this time he was stopped by Gordon and Virgil pinning his arms behind him.

"I'd take him away now if I were you." Gordon said to the security guards who nodded, trying to stop the grins from emerging on their faces. And failing. Once they were gone, Gordon and Virgil carefully released Alan. Dad walked over to him and bent down slightly.

"Alan. I know he deserved that but…"

"Yeah I know. I shouldn't have punched him. But he did deserve it Dad – he was mouthing off about Abby and I'm not gonna let him do that." Alan interrupted, his eyes fierce with determination and anger.

"I know son." Dad sighed before grinning at Alan. "Nice shot by the way. I don't think I could've done better myself." Alan grinned back. Dad held his arms out and enveloped Alan in a hug. I raised an eyebrow. Well, so far so good. It seemed that Alan and Dad were well on the way to mending their rocky relationship. At least something good came out of all of this. I settled back into my chair and continued to wait for my sister to grace us with her presence.

* * *

**Ok so we now know the name of our reporter/policeman and how low he'd sunk to get a story. I haven't forgotten Alan & Gordon's plots I just haven't figured out how to work it in yet but it will come soon. And Alan's relationship with his father is sorting itself out. Yay. When will Abby wake up though? Stay tuned to find out! xxx**


	19. Best night's sleep

_**4 days later…**_

Four days later and Abby was still unconscious. The only sign of improvement was she was finally free of the ventilator. I've never felt so happy. Of course, I'd have been happier if she was awake but after four days we were going to take what we could get. Well, we were happy when the ventilator was taken off but that didn't last long. The day after we were all frustrated once more. The only time we really left Abby's room was when Dad or Dan kicked us out to go to the hotel and get some rest and a decent meal. Or we were doing the same thing to Dad. We kept talking to her like Dan told us to in the hope that something would wake her up. But nothing happened. Until the evening of the fourth day…

I was on my own in the ICU room. Well, Dad was there but he was asleep in the corner so there wasn't really much difference. The boys had gone back to the hotel. I was gently holding Abby's hand trying to decide what story might do the unthinkable and wake her up. I sighed. I knew which one it would be but I didn't want to relive that day. I was going to have to tell her about the events which put her in hospital in the first place. I didn't want to but I was clinging to the hope that maybe, just maybe, reliving those events would give her a nudge in the right direction. I started to tell her the story, starting from the call I made after the rescue in Russia. I didn't leave anything out just in case that one thing would be what woke my sister up. The 'volleyball' game, Alan trying out my bird, the missile hitting the station. Everything. As I sat there reliving the day I almost lost everything I realised just how lucky we'd been. Aside from Abby, we'd all come out relatively unscathed. As I talked I could see the fire engulfing sections of the station, the smoke so thick you couldn't see your hand in front of your face. I shuddered. I told her how I proud of her I was. How proud of her we all were. She had to know. As I told her I felt something amazing. I felt her finger move under my hand. I looked down startled. I could see the tips of her fingers and watched in amazement as, slowly, each one moved slightly.

"Dad." I called without taking my eyes off Abby's hand. I heard him stir slightly and tried again, a little louder.

"Dad."

"What?" He mumbled sleepily.

"She's coming round." I whispered in shock. That woke him up. He was by Abby's side in record time and I saw the same wondering look cross his face as Abby moved her other hand.

"Abby." Dad called gently as he picked up her hand. He looked over as I gasped.

"She's holding my hand." I managed to choke out. I was in danger of bursting into tears. I'd spent four long, hard, stressful days waiting for this to happen. We all had. And now, finally, it was happening. Being careful of the IV line I squeezed her hand. I took a deep breath and followed Dad's lead.

"Come on Abs, open those eyes for us." We waited, holding our breath as Abby wrestled her way back to us. After a moment, she moaned softly. I gasped in relief and I heard Dad do the same.

"That's it sweetheart. Come on now, keep going." Dad encouraged and, eventually, it happened. She opened her eyes. They were glazed over and confused but I didn't care. They were open! She was awake and conscious and I was so happy. Words can't describe the feeling inside me. I tried to speak but I couldn't so I made do with gently squeezing my sister's hand. She looked at me for a moment and smiled weakly. I returned the gesture before she looked at Dad.

"Dad?" She said softly. I had to strain to hear it; it was quieter than a whisper.

"I'm right here sweetheart. I'm right here." He reassured her, taking his free hand and brushing her fringe off her forehead.

"What happened?" She asked. I looked at Dad. Were we going to tell her now when she'd just woke up? Dad shook his head slightly and my shoulders sagged with relief. I didn't want to think about knowing what had happened would do to her.

"Don't you worry about that now." Dad soothed. "You just relax and go back to sleep ok? I'll explain everything when you're a little more awake." Abby nodded slightly, her head barely moving from the pillow. I watched her relax once more and smiled softly. She was going to be ok. I'd heard Dan telling me this for four days but I hadn't let myself believe it. Now I could. Because she was awake and talking and that was more than I could ever hope for. Dad leaned down and gently kissed her on the forehead before saying,

"I'm going to go and get Dan ok? I'll back as soon as I can." I nodded in response.

"'Kay." Came the sleepy response from the hospital bed. Dad left and I could hear his footsteps as he ran down the corridor in search of the doctor.

"Scotty?" I looked down in surprise.

"Yeah Abs?"

"You'll stay here with me – won't you?" I smiled and copied Dad, bending down and kissing her forehead.

"Course I will munchkin – nothing's going to stop me from leaving you." That seemed to satisfy her and she drifted off to sleep. After a few minutes of watching her I felt my eyes begin to droop and I settled down myself. It was the best night's sleep I'd had in ages.

**She's awake! There you go – you can stop asking me now lol. I decided to skip ahead a few days because I couldn't think of anything interesting to occupy them – I hope you don't mind. Now, just a warning. Don't go thinking things will get easier now that the madam's awake cos they won't – I really like being evil! I hope you all enjoyed the chapter and are happy with how Abby came back to the land of the living. See you soon xx**

2


	20. I don't know

When I came round again sunlight was streaming through the blinds. I blinked in surprise at the harsh light.

"Morning." I looked up to see my Dad smiling at me from the sofa.

"Morning." I yawned back. He chuckled.

"Why don't you go over to the hotel Scott?" Dad asked. I shook my head.

"I'll be fine after a coffee. Anyway, if I go over now I'll wake the guys up." I looked down at Abby and frowned.

"Dad?" I said, looking back over at him.

"What's up Scott?" He asked.

"Abby wasn't lying like that before." I watched Dad frown and stand up.

"Don't you remember? Scott, Abs woke up last night." It all came back. I thought I'd dreamt it. After a week in limbo it felt like a dream.

"It actually happened?" I whispered. Dad chuckled again and nodded.

"Yup. It really happened."

"And she's ok?"

"Dan checked her over last night and for now she's fine. It's going to take a while for her to recover but Dan believes she'll make a full recovery." I grinned and gently squeezed her hand. It took a few moments but I felt my hand being lightly squeezed back. You had to be concentrating to feel it and most people would just dismiss it as being nothing or unimportant. But after a week of begging, pleading and hoping for my sister to squeeze my hand back I had to fight the urge to jump around the room with joy.

"Is she coming round?" Dad asked. I nodded, too overcome to think about how he knew what was happening.

"Abby." I called softly. I watched as her eyelids flickered as she started to come round.

"That's it Abs," I said again. She squeezed her eyes as she reacted to the sunlight in the room. Slowly her eyes opened.

"Hey there," Dad said, brushing her hair away from her face.

"Hey." She croaked back. I reached over and grabbed a couple of ice chips.

"Here, these will help your throat." I said as I handed her the chips. She sighed as the ice chips slid down her sore throat. I heard Dad's phone vibrate in his pocket. He pulled it out and read the message.

"The boys are downstairs." He looked at Abby who looked back confused. Seeing the confused look on her face he explained why that was a problem. "They don't know you're awake yet sweetie. I'm going to go down and tell them…" He started to get up when Abby stopped him.

"Wait." She said softly. Me and Dad looked at her. "Don't go. I want to surprise them." She said. I had to strain hard to hear her. It broke my heart to hear my sister sound so weak. I had to smile at her request. Dad nodded in agreement and sat back down.

"They're going to go nuts." I warned Abby. She nodded.

"I know. It'll be funny to watch." I laughed softly and ruffled her hair a little bit.

"You've been spending way too much time with Gordon." I say and watch Dad's smile widen even more as she giggled. I moved my chair slightly down the bed so there was more room at the top for my brothers to mob my sister. Abby settled back onto the pillows as the door opened.

"Hey Dad," my brothers called. I waited for them to notice. I was surprised that Alan was the first to realise something had changed. His eyes rested on his sister and I saw a slight glimmer of happiness sparkle in his eyes.

"Abby," he said softly, as if he couldn't quite believe what had happened. Everyone else's eyes locked on Abby. Everything was silent for a moment as they took in what they were seeing. And then, chaos broke out. There were suddenly four very excited people all trying to hug Abby at the same time.

"Ok boys, one at a time. Don't break your sister now." Dad said rolling his eyes at the mayhem. They all stepped back and one by one hugged Abby. It was all very sweet – until Gordon opened his mouth.

"Abs, I'm only telling you this because I'm your brother and I love you." He paused for a moment, staring at Abby until she nudged him with her arm. "You look awful."

I rolled my eyes and joined in with the cries of "Gordon!" There's always one who has to ruin the moment and in our family, it's normally Gordon.

"What? I'm just saying." He said indignantly.

"Yeah well don't." Virgil said, hitting him round the head. I kept quiet but I looked at my sister. Properly looked at her without being clouded by happiness. Even though what Gordon said was stupid, it was true. It was hard to tell where Abby ended and the bed sheets started. She was so pale. Like a vampire. You could see how much weight she'd lost in her face. Her eyes seemed like they'd sunk into her face and there were huge black bags under her eyes. Her cheek bones were also starting to show. She was trying so hard to smile and act as normal as possible but, like Alan, there was no life in her eyes. Just pain and exhaustion. It was scary to see my usually bubbly little sister so empty and lifeless. So vulnerable. I caught John's eye and I could see he had made the same assessment I had.

Dad had obviously decided that Abby had had enough excitement for one day and stepped in.

"Ok boys, give your sister some space." The room was filled with moans and mumbles but my brothers stepped away from the edge of the bed, giving Abby room to settle down again.

"You settle down and get some rest sweetheart." He continued, softening his tone slightly. abby's eyes were already drooping and I knew she wouldn't take much convincing. She nodded and yawned.

"Sleep tight Abs. we'll all be here when you wake up." Alan said. He'd remained sitting on the edge of his only younger siblings bed and it was clear he wasn't moving for the world. It looked like even Alan had inherited the mother-hen big brother gene. It was nice to see him like that though, it didn't happen often.

As Abby drifted off to sleep again I motioned to John to follow me outside.

"Me and John are going to get some coffee. Anyone want one?" There were a few nods and, with that we walked out into the corridor.

"What are we going to do Scott?" John asked as we walked down the corridor. I looked over at him.

"I don't know John. I honestly don't know."

**I'm not sure whether this chapter made much sense but I wanted to show the other brother's reaction to seeing Abby awake and, obviously getting to see how sick Abby is. It will get more exciting soon I promise but for now, a little fluffy chapter to keep you all going. xx**

3


	21. Normal's not in her vocabulary

We walked back to Abby's room carrying the coffee cups in silence. Each of us thinking over the events of not only the past week but the last few hours. How far we'd all come and how much we'd learnt about each other. As my thoughts settled on Alan, I had to grudgingly admit that without the Hood none of us would have realised how much we were excluding him until it was too late. At least now we had a chance to fix the damage we'd done.

"John?" I asked quietly.

"Hmmm?"

"Why do you think we excluded Alan so much but we didn't with Abs?" It was a hard question to ask but it had been playing on my mind since I was walking out of the bank with my youngest brother. John didn't answer for a moment.

"I think it's because Abby's the youngest and she's different from the rest of us in the fact that she's the only girl. I think that because Alan's a boy and is a little older we feel like we can tease him more. We're making him older than he is. Really, he's only a few years older than Abby and with all of us teasing him whenever we see him we made him feel like he wasn't wanted. That Abby was wanted more than him." He looked over at me. "We'll make it right Scooter. I promise." I nodded so he knew I'd listened. I was trying to fight back the tears as the memories of all the times I'd made fun of Alan or stepped back and let the others take it one step too far flashed to mind. I couldn't believe I'd let things go so far. I wasn't going to let him slip away though. The Hood had provided a well-timed, much needed kick for all of us.

We stepped into the room to find a new police officer in the room. I stiffened slightly. I hadn't forgotten what had happened before.

"Easy Scott, he's ok." Dad murmured as he took his coffee.

"What's going on?" John asked as he sat down between Virgil and Gordon on the sofa. Alan was still sat on the edge of Abby's bed but he was watching the officer carefully, making sure this officer was legitimate.

"I'm here to update you on what's happened with Richard Driskell. As you know, his employment has been terminated and the newspaper has offered you compensation as an apology for Mr Driskell's actions earlier in the week." We nodded. We'd already been told about the compensation and an apology was offered in the newspaper the following day. We'd already offered the money to the hospital. It's not like we needed it.

"Mr Driskell was questioned about the events that took place earlier in the week and he denied them. He said that he was not harassing you he was merely 'doing his job'."

"Really? He's a journalist – he's paid to come up with ideas and excuses as a living and that's the best he could come up with." Gordon piped up. The officer grinned.

"I'm glad it's not just me that thought that." He shifted slightly in his seat and his personality shifted back to professional. "Anyway, once the news broke that Mr Driskell was being questioned, we were inundated with phone calls from other well-known business people saying that Mr Driskell had also harassed them in the past to get a story. He will be taken to court and is charged with numerous offences, namely harassment." The officer paused for a moment, as if unsure if he should say something. It was silent in the room until the officer took a deep breath and continued. "I was told to warn you Mr Tracy. Mr Driskell is rumoured to have a partner although we can't find out what the partners name is at this time. However, once Mr Driskell has been caught, many people have said that a second reporter will take over the story for Mr Driskell." I saw Dad stiffen slightly.

"So you're telling me that the idiotic reporter who was harassing me and my family has a partner who will not stop until he gets the story he needs?" The officer nodded sheepishly. "Why was I not told about this sooner?" Dad demanded.

"We weren't told until last night when we were questioning fellow 'victims' of Mr Driskell. There were a few reports of a second reporter hanging around after Mr Driskell had gone. My officers are working around the clock to find out who this mystery reporter is and if he is Mr Driskell's partner at all. He could just be another reporter." The officer was desperately trying to convince us that this was a coincidence but it was obvious he believed the reports. Dad nodded slowly.

"I apologise officer. I understand you and your men are working hard to resolve this it's just hard for me as a father to know that a second idiot is probably trying to get photos of me and my family during this difficult time." The officer relaxed slightly at Dad's softened tone but he missed the steel underneath. I caught my brothers eyes and grinned slightly at them. As soon as the officer was gone I knew that Dad would be onto security straight away.

"I understand Mr Tracy I know this is difficult to hear." The officer stood up and started to walk to the door. "I'll keep you informed Mr Tracy, in the meantime you have my card. If you do spot anyone acting suspicious don't hesitate to call me." Dad stood and walked over to shake the officers' hand.

"I will thank you officer." As soon as Dad was sure the officer had gone Dad turned around to face us, his face hard.

"Boys, I want you to be extra careful. You saw how low Richard Driskell went to get a photo of your sister. Who knows what this new reporter will do."

"You believe there is a reporter then Dad." Alan asked from his spot on the bed. Dad nodded.

"Yes Alan I do. And I reckon this reporter is even sneakier than Richard." I walked over and put my hand on Dad's shoulder to try and calm Dad down.

"We'll keep a lookout Dad don't worry." Dad patted my hand and went to sit back down. I went and stood behind Alan.

"How's she doing Sprout?" I asked softly. Alan shrugged.

"Ok I think."

"How are you doing Sprout?" I asked, smiling at the surprised look on my little brother's face.

"I'm fine Scott." He looked away again, suddenly finding the bed sheets very interesting.

"You sure about that Al?" I pressed.

"Scott. What do you think that reporter's going to do?" I bent down a little and put my hand on his back.

"I don't know Allie but I'm not going to let him hurt you or Abby or the guys. You have nothing to worry about I promise." Alan nodded and turned his attention back to Abby. I ruffled his hair and sat down.

* * *

Twenty minutes later Dan came in.

"Morning all." He said cheerfully.

"Are you ever not happy?" Dad grumbled.

"Nope, got to be happy for my patients. Wouldn't look good if the doctor was upset now would it." Dad rolled his eyes but returned Dan's grin. "Speaking of patients, how's madam doing?" He said as he strode over to Abby's bed. He picked up the data pad and looked at the data. And frowned.

"What's wrong?" I asked a cold hand grabbing my heart.

"Her temperature's increasing." Dan murmured as he reached into his pocket and pulling out a thermometer. I shot a look at John who returned my horrified look.

"Is that normal?" Gordon asked quietly.

"Err, no. But then she's a Tracy. I don't think normal is in your vocabulary." He turned to look at us. "I'll keep an eye on her. Hopefully it won't turn into anything serious." Somehow I wasn't convinced.

* * *

**Thanks to everyone who's reviewing I'm so glad you're enjoying it. So now we've got a brand new sneaky reporter come to finish off what Richard started and Abby's decided to cause more problems. I'm starting to worry about Jeff's blood pressure. Oh well, he'll be fine :) Enjoy guys xxx**


	22. Not quite a perfect day

I was right to be sceptical. Dan checked Abby's temperature every 20 minutes, monitoring the increase. After an hour he sighed which just reiterated what we already knew. This was bad. _I seem to be saying that a lot lately _I thought to myself.

"How bad is it?" Dad asked quietly.

"Bad." Dan replied absently. I was about to speak but Abby started to stir. We all looked down at her.

"I'll give you guys a minute with her." Dan said as he walked out of the room.

"Abby?" Virgil asked from the other side of the bed.

"Mmm 'rgil?" She mumbled. Virgil chuckled.

"Yeah Abs it's me." She slowly opened her eyes, squinting in the bright sunlight.

"Hey, how you feeling?" I asked as Gordon and John joined me, Virgil and Alan at Abby's bedside. Dad had obviously followed Dan out but I hadn't noticed him leave.

"Cold." She replied through a yawn.

"Tired too by the sounds of it." Gordon said making her smile.

"Scott?" She asked quietly. I took her hand gently before answering.

"What's up Abby?" She looked nervous. Like she wasn't sure of what she was saying. I waited for her to answer.

"Where'd Mom go?" She whispered. The room stopped. I took a deep breath before answering.

"Do you mean where'd Dad go?" I asked, hoping with everything I had that that was what she meant. That she was just foggy from all the meds. I knew the guys were hoping that was the case as well but our hopes were dashed when Abby shook her head slightly.

"No Scotty, Mom. She was right here just a minute ago. Where'd she go?" I looked across at Virgil and Alan. The pain in their eyes was horrifying and I knew it mirrored my own and John and Gordon's pain. It took everything I had to stop the tears rolling down my face as I answered my sister.

"No sweetheart, Mom wasn't there. Mom's gone remember? She's gone to a better place." I could see the pain and confusion in Abby's eyes but I didn't know what else to do. We thought we'd done this years ago. Explained to each other that Mom had gone, that she wasn't coming back. None of us ever imagined we'd have to do it again.

"Abby, did you have a dream about Mom?" John asked. Abby thought about it for a moment and then nodded slightly. It was obviously still painful for her to move her head.

"Is that why Mom was here?" She asked him. John nodded.

"I think so honey. For a moment, your dream met reality and you thought you saw Mom just like you saw her in your dream."

"Oh." She said sadly. My heart clenched at how disappointed she sounded. She had honestly believed Mom was here, in the room. For a second I thought I could smell lavender, dancing around me. Just how I remember Mom smelling. I smiled slightly and I swear I could hear her saying,

_Of course I'm here Scooter. I'm always here. _

Then, the lavender, and the voice was gone but knowing Mom was there with us helped a little.

"Why don't you go back to sleep Abs? Maybe you'll see Mom again." I said, rhythmically stroking around the IV in her hand.

"OK Scott." She mumbled, settling down again. It took a while but eventually, Abby was asleep again, and we were able to talk about what had happened amongst ourselves.

"Do you really think it was just her dream?" Gordon asked John.

"I think that's the strongest theory. With all the meds she's on it's likely that her dream lasted a little longer than she expected. Add that to the fact that she has a fever which probably caused her to hallucinate I think that's what happened." John replied. I dropped my head into my hands.

"I never thought I'd have to explain where Mom had gone again." I mumbled. I could feel someone's hand on my back but I didn't look up.

"None of us did Scott." I heard Virgil say. I slowly lifted my head and looked at my youngest brother. He'd been way to quiet. I soon saw why. He looked like he was about to burst into tears.

"Allie you OK?" I croaked, my own voice thick with tears.

"Yeah." He whispered before getting up and running out of the room. I made to stand up but Virgil stopped me.

"I'll go. Don't worry Scott, he'll be OK." I nodded.

"Now all we need is this new reporter finding us and today will be perfect." Gordon said sarcastically as he sat down in Virgil's vacated seat. None of us paid attention to the window cleaner stopping outside.

* * *

**Another little filler chapter to keep you all going. I'm not sure when I'm going to be able to update for a while because I'm going on holiday tomorrow for a couple of weeks so this will just have to keep you going until then. Sorry it's so short (and a little boring) but it WILL get more exciting soon. Promise xxx**


	23. You'll see

My head felt like it was about to burst. I found it hard to keep up with my thoughts there was so much going on. One moment I was thinking about Alan, wondering where he and Virgil were and whether he was ok, the next I was thinking about Abby, glancing at the monitor every few seconds checking her fever and thinking about her dream earlier. There was also the thought that another sleazebag reporter would probably be lurking around the hospital, waiting for the scoop of the year. In short, my head was a mess.

Dad had seen Alan run out of the room, closely followed by Virgil and had come running in thinking the worse. I'd let John and Gordon explain what had happened. I couldn't do it. I couldn't explain the hurt and pain that I saw in Abby's eyes when she realised Mom wasn't there. I couldn't do that to him, not when I remembered what he was like after Mom died. Don't get me wrong, Dad would never go back to that but I didn't know what it would do to him to know what his daughter had asked. I know I'll never forget it.

I watched Gordon look down at his watch for the 50th time in about 5 seconds.

"Gordon, just because you keep looking down at your watch won't make them come back any sooner." I said with a small smile. Gordon looked up at me, a look of annoyance on his face.

"I know Scott, I know. It's just they've been ages – what if that reporter's found them?"

"Alan and Virge will be fine Gords" John said, trying to reassure our auburn haired brother.

"Yeah, they'll be back before you know it." I said, joining in. Even before I'd finished my sentence the door opened and Alan and Virgil walked through the door. Virgil had his arm round Alan's shoulder but both of them looked much happier than they had when they'd left.

"Are you ok boys?" Dad asked, standing up and walking over to them.

"We're fine Dad, aren't we Al." Virgil said, looking down at the youngest who nodded energetically.

"Yeah. Hey Dad, me and Virge have found something." Dad raised an eyebrow.

"Oh yes? And what would that be?" He asked. Alan looked at up at Virgil who nodded in response to the silent question.

"We know who our new stalker is." Alan said, the excitement at the find building behind his voice.

"Who?" John asked.

"His name is Nigel Gardner and he doesn't work for the same paper as our old friend Richard Driskell but he is hired out as a private reporter for various newspapers." Virgil said, taking over the story. "Seems to be doing pretty well for himself, driving around in an audit tt."

"Wouldn't it be a shame if something were to go wrong in his nice new car, huh Gordon." Alan said as he walked over to Gordon's chair, sharing a look I knew only too well. As much as I despised this Nigel I couldn't help but feel a little sorry for what was going to happen to him and his car. That soon disappeared though when I thought about what he was trying to do to our family.

"Boys." Dad said, trying to sound stern but none of us missed the knowing smirk on his face. Gordon and Alan just grinned in response and then started to talk quietly amongst themselves again. Well, I say quietly, as quiet as Gordon and Alan could argue. Which wasn't as quiet as we would like.

"What are you two arguing about?" A sleepy but amused voice asked from the bed making us all jump.

"What are you doing awake?" Dad replied, as he walked over and perched on the bed.

"Don't blame me, blame dumb and dumber over there." Abby said, smirking in the direction of a scowling Alan and Gordon. John laughed.

"You're either very brave or very stupid Abby." He said making her giggle.

"I have just one question." Gordon said. We all looked over at him. "Am I dumb or dumber?" We all laughed, relishing in the moment we never thought would happen again. All of us laughing together.

"I'll let you two fight it out." Abby said. "But you still haven't answered my question."

"How much do you know about a reporter?" I asked gently. She thought for a moment.

"Not much. I mean, I kind of remember hearing you guys talk about one before. There was a big argument about it I think but I don't know much more than that." I looked at Dad, trying to gauge how much I should tell her.

"Well, we did have a problem with a reporter for a few days when you were first admitted into hospital. That argument you heard was between Scott and the reporter who had managed to fake his way here to get close to us and close to you. Scott figured it out and we managed to get him arrested."

"I sense a 'but' coming." Abby interrupted, making us smile.

"You sense correctly." Dad continued. "We were tipped off by the officer taking care of the reporter issue that it's not uncommon for another reporter to come and finish off an unfinished job done by our first reporter. Virgil and Alan have found him and I think your brothers were arguing about what to do to him."

"Ohh." Abby said in understanding and she leant back against the mountain of pillows. "Wait. If this first reporter found us, then surely he'll have told this other guy – what if he knows where we are. What if he tries to get in too?" Panic and fear were written across my sister's face and it took all of us to calm her down. It was in that moment I realised that whatever trust she had in people outside of the Island had been well and truly destroyed, not only by the Hood, but by these idiot reporters who have no clue how much damage they're causing to our family.

"Shhh Abby shhh. It's ok. He won't get in I promise. Security has been tripled and we know what to look for now. Don't you worry about that. You just worry about getting better, you hear me." Dad soothed. Abby nodded, trying to focus on keeping her breathing normal so she didn't trigger the monitors. To say she's only twelve she's very smart, I thought to myself.

"So," she said quietly after a few moments. "What are you thinking of doing to the scumbag?" We laughed and Gordon ruffled her hair leaving Alan to say, "You'll see Abs. You'll see soon enough."

* * *

**I'm bbbaaaccckkk! I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. If anyone has any ideas on what kind of revenge Gordon and Alan can pull on Nigel please PM me. I had a few ideas but I don't think they'll work so well now (typical!) so any ideas you guys have will be appreciated! See you guys soon xxx**


	24. Worth it

It took us half an hour to get Abby back to sleep. It was obvious this Nigel guy had spooked her, no matter how hard she tried to deny. I'll admit I was impressed with how long she managed to last though. The amount of medication and sedatives flowing through her veins, staying awake for more than five minutes would be a challenge – half an hour was impressive. Or just stubborn depending on how you looked at it. Once she'd finally given into sleep, the room was silent. It seemed to do that a lot lately. I wasn't used to it. Our family had one setting – loud. Well, unless you count yelling at Gordon and Alan for pranking you again then we have two settings. Loud and louder. When we're quiet, it means something is wrong. Really wrong. It was only then, when we'd fallen silent that I noticed Dan leaning casually on the door frame reading the newspaper intently.

"How much of that did you see?" I asked him wearily. He looked over and smiled at me.

"The last ten minutes. It was very entertaining to watch 5 men and a teenager argue with a twelve year old girl in a hospital bed and to see the twelve year old win." I glared at him.

"Yeah well we got there eventually." I said, knowing it was a weak defence.

"Yeah Scooter, the key word there being _eventually_. I hadn't realised just how stubborn she could be."

"She's just like her mother." Dad murmured, gently stroking Abby's hair like he used to when she was little.

"Anything interesting?" John asked, nodding towards the newspaper.

"Well, that depends on what you find interesting." Dan said, as he turned the newspaper towards us so we could read the headline.

**NEW TWIST IN TRACY TRAGEDY**

And underneath was a photo of us. Abby lying in bed, her head turned away from the camera, obviously sleeping. My head was in my hands and John's face was full of shock and pain. Alan, Gordon and Virgil had their backs to the camera but they were all tense and rigid. It took me a moment to realise why we were so upset – it was right after Abby's dream. But I didn't understand how the photo had been taken. I grabbed the newspaper and read the small accompanying paragraph, conscious everyone was watching me, waiting for me to react.

_Young Abigail Tracy's condition has taken a turn for the worse, with a fever that is steadily rising we can confirm. But with the youngest Tracy getting worse, can the rest of the family remain strong and united or will they crumble under the pressure of another potential loss for the Tracy family? __**Full story on pages 4 & 5.**_

I read slowly, taking in every word, a cloud of red mist slowly forming around the edges of my vision. Once I'd reached the end I took a deep breath before throwing the newspaper as hard as I could at the wall.

"How did they know that? No one except us knew about the fever. How did they get that photo?" I would have gone on but Dad interrupted.

"Scott." I looked over at him, anger still written on my face. "I know you're mad…"

"Mad? I'm not mad Dad, I'm furious! How did they…"

"I don't know son but we'll find out. And he'll get what he deserves. What I do know is if you don't stop yelling you're going to wake your sister up and I don't fancy spending another half an hour trying to convince her to go to sleep. Do you?" I sighed and shook my head.

"Atta boy." He said, smiling over at me.

"Hey Dad?" Gordon piped up.

"Yes Gordon?" Dad asked suspiciously. He had every right to be suspicious. Gordon only uses his butter wouldn't melt voice when he's up to something.

"You mentioned this sleazebag getting what he deserves?" Me, John and Virgil shared a look. Dad raised an eyebrow.

"I suppose, just this once, I can turn a blind eye to whatever it is you and Alan are planning just as long as no one gets hurt." It was my turn to raise an eyebrow as my two youngest brothers raced out of the room.

"Do we want to know what they've planned?" Virgil asked.

"No, probably not." John said after a pause. I had to agree. I turned my mind away from my scheming brothers and settled back in my chair. I was exhausted. I focused what was left on my concentration on Abby and her breathing. I started to match her and, soon, I felt my eyes start to droop. And not long after that, I fell asleep.

* * *

When I woke up again, the sun had well and truly gone and had been replaced by the city lights. Abby was still fast asleep but Alan and Gordon were back, both flushed with excitement.

"What have you two done?" I asked my voice thick with sleep. Instead of answering me, Alan handed me his mobile and reached over to press play on the video that was on the screen. Virgil and John crowded round, leaving Dad to sit and listen.

The video basically compromised of our favourite reporter's reaction to the surprise Gordon and Alan left him in his car. Which was basically him screaming as a loud of gas and rubbish exploded from his car.

"I repeat – what did you two do?" I said as I handed the phone back.

"That dear brother is a combination of a dozen stinkbombs set to go off when the door is opened and some rubbish that the hospital canteen was glad to get rid of." Gordon said triumphantly. I tried so hard to glare and get mad but I couldn't stop myself from laughing. Soon, all of us were in fits.

"Oh, and there's a fish under his bonnet so when he does manage to get into his car without passing out from the smell he will soon be greeted by the delicious smell of cooking fish." Alan added after we'd managed to stifle our laughter. This just set us off all over again. How Abby didn't wake up still amazes me.

"Well boys, I think he'll have got the message." Dad said, wiping tears from his eyes.

"Yeah – don't mess with the Tracy's!" Virgil said breathlessly. I didn't know whether the message would get through or if it would just make him more determined to get a story but whatever happened, at that moment, was worth it. Just for the laughter and happiness it bought us for a few moments.

* * *

**So the prank is finally here! Sorry it took so long but it's here now! Please let me know what you think. The next chapter will have the actual reaction from the reporter but I've been writing this for hours and it's late and I'm losing the will to live :) I don't think I ever expected this story to be so long I'm quite glad at how it's turning out - I hope you guys are enjoying it! xxx**

* * *

**Hey guys, just wanted you to know that I might not be able to upload the next chapter because my laptop is playing up :( I'll try & do it as soon as possible but I'm concious of the fact that it's been a while since the last post - I'm still here though! :) xxx**


End file.
